What is the Emotional Regulation (DERS) Assessment?

The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)is a standardised psychological assessment tool used to explore how individuals experience, understand, and manage their emotions in everyday life. It examines different aspects of emotional regulation, including emotional awareness, clarity, acceptance of emotions, impulse control when distressed, ability to remain goal-focused, and access to effective regulation strategies.

Emotion regulation difficulties are common in autistic young people and adults and are often linked to factors such as sensory overload, anxiety, alexithymia, and cumulative stress rather than emotional “dysfunction”. The DERS provides a structured framework for understanding these patterns and identifying areas where additional support or tailored strategies may be helpful.

The assessment is completed via self-report and is suitable for adolescents and adults. Results are interpreted within a neurodiversity-affirming framework and used to inform formulation, recommendations, and post-assessment support planning.

Purpose:

The DERS assessment is used to identify patterns of emotional regulation difficulties that may impact daily functioning, well-being, relationships, and coping under stress. It supports the development of personalised, autism-informed strategies to enhance emotional understanding, regulation skills, and overall quality of life.

Focus:

The assessment focuses on six key areas of emotional regulation:

• Awareness of emotions

• Clarity and understanding of emotional experiences

• Acceptance of emotions

• Ability to manage impulses when distressed

• Capacity to stay engaged with tasks during emotional distress

• Access to effective emotion regulation strategies

These areas help highlight strengths, challenges, and specific support needs.

Administration:

The DERS is completed as a self-report questionnaire and typically takes 10–15 minutes to complete. It can be administered online or as part of a broader clinical assessment and is suitable for use in clinical and assessment settings.

Price:£125

What is included in the price:

• The DERS questionnaire sent to you for completion

• Scoring, analysis, and clinical interpretation of results

• Integration of findings into a comprehensive written report

• A feedback session (online or face-to-face) to explain the results, discuss strengths and support needs, and answer questions

• Personalised, practical recommendations to support emotional regulation in daily life

Validity:

The DERS is a well-established, evidence-based psychological measure widely used in both clinical practice and research to understand emotion regulation patterns.

All assessments are conducted by a psychologist in training under supervision or by a fully qualified neurodevelopmental practitioner, in line with ethical and professional standards.

This assessment is not diagnostic in nature but can complement existing or future autism assessments by providing detailed insight into emotional regulation and associated support needs.

The report can be used for:

• Informing post-diagnostic support and intervention planning

• Supporting educational or workplace adjustments

• Enhancing understanding for individuals, families, and carers

• Contributing contextual information for future diagnostic processes

• Supporting referrals to GPs or other healthcare professionals

Please note:
This is not a diagnostic assessment for autism. However, it can significantly enhance understanding of differences in emotional regulation, particularly among autistic and neurodivergent individuals, and provide tailored, practical recommendations to support everyday emotional well-being.