Julia Olivares

Book recommendation:  A Little Spot of Feelings – Emotion Detective by Diane Alber

Why- As an RBT (Registered Behavior Technician) working with Individuals on the Spectrum, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is one of the biggest goals we encounter with our clients. “A Little Spot of Feelings – Emotion Detective” does an incredible job of breaking down to the reader what a person could be feeling as well as all the non-verbal ways emotions are expressed. This is perfect for our clients who already struggle to identify and appropriately express their own emotions but also recognize the emotions of others and the social situations around them.

This book is one of many in a series that spotlights the diversity of emotions and situations that can help explain to children the complexity that we, as adults, may even have some trouble describing. Even prior to my career working with children, I have always been an advocate for emotional intelligence. The way this book explains with its feelings chart that there are a vast variety of feelings for children to learn to recognize is vital, in my opinion. In addition to a color connecting feelings chart, which has helped my clients, in particular relating to others around them, what color category they are feeling. Regardless of a child’s level of functioning, I believe that their emotional health should be a top priority not only to advocate for themselves but to help their caregivers better understand and advocate for them.