From the desk of Leah Kuypers, The Zones of Regulation founder, creator, and CEOÂ
Imitation is said to be the greatest form of flattery. This may be true for following the latest fashion trends or replicating a friend’s recipe for a dinner party.  But as the creator of The Zones of Regulation, I am in a unique position as my life’s work has been pirated, misrepresented, and sold all while I have been working diligently behind the scenes to protect it. While I’m generally an even-keeled person, seeing The Zones repeatedly replicated without credit and with detriment is on my short list of Red Zone triggers.
Let me explain why.
The Reality of Unofficial Zones Resources
It may or may not surprise you that you can find thousands of unauthorized Zones of Regulation dupes, knockoffs, and fakes out there on sites like Teachers Pay Teachers, Etsy, Temu and so many more. Many people I encounter are surprised to learn there is an official Zones of Regulation® Curriculum and/or training, never knowing anything more than the four-colored visual they bought off the internet.
What concerns me most isn’t simply that these resources copy our work; it’s that many imitators misrepresent key concepts of The Zones, which can lead to confusion, undermine regulation skill development, and even cause harm.
Where I Draw the Line
As both a therapist and educator, I’m fully aware that there are times when adapting a published resource is the best path to meeting a client’s needs, making learning more accessible to a child, or expanding upon a concept to take teaching to the next level. I respect that dedication from teachers, therapists, or caregivers that go above and beyond in service to their client, student, or child. This is admirable and is not what irks me.
I encourage educators and therapists to share these adapted Zones resources with the child’s support team, as I want what is best for the kids they service. However, all too often a line is crossed when this sharing is posted publicly or sold on the internet. This is what I want to address.
A derivative work is something that adapts, modifies, or builds upon an existing copyrighted work. In the case of The Zones of Regulation, this can include written or digital resources, videos, presentations, programs, services, activities, or other materials that take protected content from The Zones and rework it into something new.
If a resource you create adapts or incorporates protected elements of The Zones of Regulation, it may be a derivative work—and creating or distributing it generally requires permission from the copyright owner. This is different from expanding what you’ve learned from The Zones in your everyday practice.
2 Reasons Why Zones Derivatives Undermine The Zones’ Mission
First, let me restate that what pains me most is seeing my ideas misused in ways that can harm those that need it most.
Too often, imitations of The Zones are marketed as a behavior-management approach or presented in ways that frame certain Zones, particularly the Red Zone, as undesirable or “bad” (see our blog on “Unlearning The Zones”). When the framework is used incorrectly, the consequences can be significant. For example, one large school district distributed a knock-off Zones visual purchased from Teacher Pay Teachers that alarmingly depicted only children of color in the Red Zone. Other imitators continue to use outdated messaging and imagery such as “Green is Good” or “Red Means Stop” (for reference, you will no longer find any traffic symbols in the updated Zones of Regulation Curriculum (2024) for this reason).
Make no mistake, getting this wrong can harm developing learners. It can leave children (and adults) feeling ashamed of big emotions, encourage them to mask their feelings to please others or “fit in,” and reinforce outdated behaviorist practices. These approaches have long had a disproportionate impact on both neurodivergent learners and marginalized racial and cultural communities.
Second, many Zones imitations contain copyright and/or trademark violations, causing confusion for the public. Picturing or explaining the same four colors, with similar text/labels and emotions used in official Zones resources, is often a copyright issue. Using the title “The Zones of Regulation” or something similar like “The Zones of Emotions” or “Regulation Zones” that could cause confusion in the marketplace may also raise trademark concerns.
This matters because we own the right to create and license derivatives, and we invest significant time and resources into ensuring our products are based on best practices, research-aligned, tested, and high quality. Too often people think they are “doing The Zones” by referencing a downloaded visual that shows four colored emotional states named “The Colors of Regulation,” not having any awareness there are official Zones of Regulation Curriculum and Trainings that provide the formal instruction, teacher guidance, or learning resources. When these trademark infringements circulate, along with simplified copies or look-alike resources, a dilution of our products and services happens, resulting in our work being misconstrued, tarnished, and ultimately undermining our mission and efforts to advance research-aligned practice.
My Request to Our Community
Here’s my ask to our community: Please remove any derivates that you may be publicly sharing and/or selling. I believe in my heart we are all here to support well-being. And because we care, I ask those who are posting and selling unofficial Zones resources to stop sharing out of respect for me and my team’s efforts, as well as all the learners we aim to serve.
I invite you to explore our full Intellectual Property Guidelines here→Â
Looking for Official Zones of Regulation Resources?
In 2024, we launched our second edition of The Zones of Regulation Curriculum, which was the result of years of research and a reimagining of my original 2011 book. One of the reasons we invested in this expansion was the growing number of unofficial Zones materials online, motivating us to create a trusted, comprehensive source for extending The Zones framework across ages, settings, and diverse support needs. We have a team of multidisciplinary professionals who continuously gather feedback, follow research, and test content to ensure The Zones of Regulation reflects current best practices in emotional awareness and regulation development.
Now I, like most people, love a deal. I want to you to know that The Zones of Regulation Curriculum includes over 200 printable teaching resources, visuals, plus interactive slide shows, videos, and adult learning modules that support implementation with fidelity. You will not find a better deal on the internet if your goal is to truly foster the development of regulation. Not to mention, we have the research to back it up. Regulation development is going to take more than a set of colored posters and nameplates for desks, hence a full curriculum to teach it.
If you want to see what’s inside, I highly encourage you to Discover The Zones with us.
Parting Thoughts
So maybe I am feeling a bit protective in the Yellow Zone as I write this; it is the mother bear in me, and The Zones was my first baby. I believe in the work we do and the results it produces, and I’m passionate about making regulation the norm for our communities, classrooms, and homes.
As we celebrate 20 years of The Zones, I thank you for being on this journey with me and honoring the work we have done.
Sincerely,
Leah Kuypers
Creator, Founder, and CEO of The Zones of Regulation, Inc.
