Feelings Chart for Autism
Naming an emotion is the first step to managing it. Faces, colours and intensity levels — digital and printable.
From 'I feel bad' to a usable word
Alexithymia — difficulty identifying and describing one's own emotions — is common in autism, and it makes generic advice like 'use your words' useless. A feelings chart provides the vocabulary externally: a face, a colour and a word, plus an intensity scale so 'angry at 2' and 'angry at 5' are not treated the same. AutismDock links each level to concrete actions, so identifying the feeling immediately suggests what to do about it — breathing at level 3, a calm corner at level 5. Charts export as PDFs for the classroom wall.
Key benefits
Faces and colours
Recognisable without reading.
Intensity levels
1 to 5, not just on/off.
Linked actions
Each level suggests what helps.
Printable
Wall poster and pocket card.
What's included
- Core emotions with faces and colour coding.
- 5-level intensity thermometer.
- Suggested strategies per level.
- Daily emotion log with patterns.
- Printable poster and pocket card.
- Links to breathing and calm corner.
- Available in 5 languages.
- Free to start.
Frequently asked questions
What is a feelings chart?+
A visual reference showing emotions as faces, colours and words so a person can identify and communicate how they feel.
Why add intensity levels?+
Because the response differs: mild frustration needs a short break, high distress needs full sensory reduction. A single label hides that difference.
Is this the Zones of Regulation?+
No. It is an independent colour-and-intensity model with a similar goal; you can map it to whichever framework your school uses.
Can I print it?+
Yes, both a wall poster and a pocket-sized card export as PDFs.
Does it track patterns?+
Yes, the daily log shows which times and situations recur, which helps identify triggers.