“How Emotional Dysregulation & ADHD Transform Teen Relationships from Messes to Minefields” [Video Replay & Podcast #398]

Access the video replay, listen to the podcast episode (#398), download the slide presentation, and learn how to get a certificate of attendance for this ADHD Experts webinar originally broadcast on April 26, 2022.

ADHD Expert: Ellen Littman, Ph.D. Verified Updated on April 18, 2023
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Episode Description

Emotional regulation enables us to manage our feelings so we can proactively choose goal-directed responses. We depend on the brain’s executive functions to help us evaluate the demands of our environment and modify our emotions accordingly. In adolescence, fledgling executive functions emerge inconsistently in the prefrontal cortex, while rapid increases in post-pubertal hormones fuel unpredictable responses. Even the healthy processes of separation and individuation challenge the limits of emotional control as teens negotiate new terms with parents, teachers, and peers. Today, teens need new tools to help them manage their multiple emotional demands, especially in light of the disorienting and novel anxieties that teens experience daily in pandemic life.

The ability to regulate emotions exists on a continuum, and teens with ADHD have been shown to be twice as likely as their neurotypical peers to struggle with emotional dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation is identified as one of the most common and yet most impairing symptoms for teens with ADHD. Already coping with the low frustration tolerance, mood volatility, and impulsivity typical of ADHD, they are particularly susceptible to the demoralization of negative peer interactions. Since emotional dysregulation has been shown to decrease the quality of life for teens with ADHD more than ADHD alone, this webinar will offer a better understanding of this core symptom, and its relationship to ADHD. When both parents and teens are better educated and prepared, they can focus on coping with the emotional tsunamis together.

Attendees of this webinar will learn to:

  1. Understand the relationship between emotional regulation and executive functions
  2. Describe the ways in which emotional dysregulation can impair teen socialization
  3. Explain why teens are most vulnerable to emotional dysregulation during adolescence
  4. Explore the evidence-based interventions that have been shown to help struggling teens
  5. Recognize the ways in which the pandemic has resulted in an escalation of symptoms affecting teens with ADHD

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

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More on ADHD and Emotional Dysregulation

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on April 26 2022, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker:

Dr. Ellen B. Littman is a clinical psychologist licensed in New York State. She has been involved with the field of attentional disorders for more than 30 years. Dr. Littman focuses on a high IQ adult and adolescent ADHD population. She specializes in identifying and treating complex presentations of ADHD that may be misinterpreted or overlooked. Dr. Littman is co-author of the book Understanding Girls with ADHD, now in its updated second edition and translated into several languages.| See expert’s full bio »

Listener Testimonials

“Amazing! This gave me so much insight into what we have been experiencing with our daughter. Thank you so much for putting this together!”

“Excellent webinar. Speaker had clear and practical strategies for parents. Thank you!”

“The presenter was superb. She compiled a host of information and presented in such a logical, meaningful, and thoughtful way. Most of all, she was understanding and positive. We will watch again and again for her insights and coaching. Thanks so much.”

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is….

Accentrate110® is a dietary supplement formulated to address nutritional deficiencies known to be associated with ADHD. It contains omega-3 fatty acids in phospholipid form (the form already in the brain). This Brain Ready™ Nutrition helps manage inattention, lack of focus, emotional dysregulation, and hyperactivity without drug-like side effects. | www.fenixhealthscience.com

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

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