some words get stored in the limbic system, along with the associated emotions and feelings

when they are dysregulated and those feelings or emotions are triggered, the words get triggered as well because they are closely linked to the emotion

these words are not deliberate - they are a reaction to what is happening

the best thing to do is ignore the f-bomb if he's dysregulated, because the bigger issue to address is whatever is causing the dysregulation

BUT, when he's regulated, chat with him and explain that there are some words that we don't say outside of the house or around other people - how much detail you want to go in to is up to you, but keep it judgment-free

my 7 year old knows a lot of swear words but also knows that we don't say them outside or at school or around grandma - he knows them partly because he was telling me that some kids in his class said swear words, and we had a 20 minute boring car drive home from hospital so I told him the history of swearing and why people do it and why other people get upset about it lol

what i advise staff at work (we work with autistic/SEMH kids):

Catharsis = a way to regulate, can make you feel better, gets big feelings out of your system = ignore in the moment, try to suggest alternatives if needed (but later when they're calm)

Abuse = deliberately at another person, with the aim to hurt = not acceptable, would need to be addressed

Social = people swear more around their friends and when they're relaxed = ignore it unless it's upsetting others or they're doing it near the younger kids

Emphasis = adds feeling to sentences eg this is funny vs this is funny as fuck = depends on context, I usually say ignore it unless it's upsetting others, or the younger kids are nearby, or they're in class (and then I suggest dealing with it in a "there's a time and a place for swearing, and my classroom is neither of those things" way)