As a parent, you will often find yourself at a crossroads with many life decisions when it comes to your child. Some will be big, some small, but all confusing in their own way. Is it time to switch to solids? Or is it wise to allow them some screen time? For parents with highly sensitive children, this crossroads also extends to this one question that often comes up: Is it ADHD, or is your child just deeply upset when they can’t find their favorite plushie? In the ADHD vs highly sensitive child conversation, the lines can easily blur. Sometimes what looks like ADHD is actually high sensitivity or emotional dysregulation in disguise.

I work often with children who have been diagnosed with ADHD. Their parents usually arrive overwhelmed, feeling like they don’t know how to help their child calm down. With these families, we work to help both parents and kids build more tools to understand what is happening in their bodies, learn to connect to themselves when they feel activated, and use tools to come back to center. Support your child in calming their nervous system with this audio recording of a butterfly body scan.