TPP 422: Dr. Amy Laurent on Shifting the Conversation Away from Emotional Regulation and to Energy Regulation

Happy New Year, and welcome to the podcast's winter season! I have some really special conversations to share with you this year, and I’m thrilled to kick things off with what I can only describe as an absolutely fascinating conversation with Dr. Amy Laurent about ENERGY—specifically, the power and freedom in shifting the focus from emotional regulation to energy regulation when supporting neurodivergent individuals, including ourselves.

You might remember Amy from her last appearance on the show with Dr. Jacquelyn Fede, where they shared about their autistic-allistic partnership Autism Level UP!—a collaboration dedicated to providing education, accessible resources, and practical strategies to increase active engagement for autistic individuals and their communities. If you haven’t heard that one yet, it’s a great listen! You can find it at tiltparenting.com/session328 or through the link in the show notes for this episode.

In this conversation, we dive into Amy and Jacquelyn’s latest resource, Energy: The Framework, Tools, Strategies & Logic to Support Regulation manual, a comprehensive guide to the Autism Level UP! tools and their innovative approach to energy regulation. Designed with autistic and neurodivergent people in mind—but perfectly suitable for all neurotypes—this manual introduces ways to understand and support energy levels for yourself or others through tools, worksheets, and practical strategies.

I LOVE this resource, so it was a real treat to explore its concepts with Amy. In our chat, Amy shares why energy regulation is often a more accessible and relatable framework than emotional regulation for many autistic people, how the “Energy Meter” helps individuals identify their energy states and foster self-awareness, and how parents can better co-regulate and connect without judgment by recognizing and reflecting on energy states. We talk a lot on the show about becoming fluent in your child, and what we’re covering today takes that concept to an entirely new level.

About Dr. Amy Laurent

Amy Laurent, PhD, OTR/L is the co-director of Autism Level UP! an autistic / allistic partnership dedicated to the provision of education, accessible resources, and practical strategies focused on increasing active engagement for autistic individuals and the members of their communities. She is a co-author of the SCERTS Model and frequently lectures internationally. She is passionate about neurodiversity and helping others to honor and understand the implications of “different ways of being” in relation to navigating the physical and social world. Dr. Laurent strives to practice what she preaches and uses her love of play and movement to meet her own regulatory needs.

Things you'll learn from this episode

• Why energy regulation is a more accessible and relatable framework than emotional regulation for many autistic people
• How the “Energy Meter” helps individuals in identifying their energy levels and needs fostering self-awareness and practical strategies for balance.
• How parents can better co-regulate, connect, and support (without judgment) through recognizing and reflecting on energy states
• Why it’s critical that we tailor tools to meet unique needs of our children (ie: there is no one size fits all)

Resources mentioned

• Energy: The Framework, Tools, Strategies & Logic to Support Regulation by Dr. Amy Laurent and Jac Fede
• Autism Level UP!
• Autism Level UP! on Facebook
• Autism Level UP! on Instagram
• Autism Level UP! Co-founders Amy Laurent & Jacquelyn Fede on Learning From Autistic Self-Advocates (Tilt Parenting Podcast)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices