Calm Connection Parenting | Neurodivergent, Meltdowns, Emotional Dysregulation, ADHD, DMDD, ODD, SPD, Defiance

Emotional dysregulation, meltdowns, and neurodivergent kids can make even well-intended parenting responses backfire, especially when you tell your child to “calm down” and everything escalates.
In this episode of the Calm Connection Parenting Podcast, we explore why common phrases like “calm down,” “stop crying,” or “it’s not a big deal” often intensify meltdowns for emotionally intense and neurodivergent children, including kids with ADHD, DMDD, sensory processing differences, and heightened emotional reactivity.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why saying “calm down” can escalate meltdowns instead of soothing them
How emotional dysregulation and sensory processing overload affect your child’s ability to listen and regulate
What’s happening in your child’s brain and nervous system when emotions are high
Why connection must come before correction when a child feels overwhelmed
You’ll gain a guilt-free understanding of why reassurance doesn’t land when a child’s nervous system is under stress — and why this isn’t about defiance, manipulation, or weak boundaries. For many neurodivergent kids, sensory input, emotional intensity, and stress combine to create reactions that can’t be reasoned away in the moment.
This episode is part of a parenting series designed to help you better understand emotional dysregulation, sensory processing challenges, and meltdowns, so you can respond with clarity, confidence, and connection — even in hard moments.
🎧 Listen now and discover why this small shift in understanding can change how you respond… and how your child experiences you when emotions run high.
 
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe

Is your child having a tantrum… or a meltdown?
And does that distinction actually matter?
For parents raising a neurodivergent child or an emotionally intense, strong-willed child, confusing a tantrum with a meltdown can quietly turn everyday moments into escalating power struggles. In this episode of the Calm Connection Parenting Podcast, we’re breaking down the difference between tantrums and meltdowns — and why misreading emotional dysregulation often leads parents to feel stuck, frustrated, and unsure of what to do next.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The key difference between a tantrum and a meltdown — and why they often look identical on the outside
How emotional dysregulation in neurodivergent kids (including ADHD and DMDD) changes what your child is capable of in the moment
Why “being consistent” doesn’t mean responding the same way every time with an emotionally intense child
How mislabeling behavior can unintentionally escalate meltdowns and leave parents feeling like nothing works
If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Why did that blow up so fast?” or “Nothing I try works with my child,” this episode will help you understand what’s really happening beneath the behavior — and why a small shift in interpretation can completely change how you respond.
This episode is especially helpful for parents navigating meltdowns, emotional dysregulation, strong-willed behavior, ADHD, DMDD, and neurodivergent children, and it’s part of an ongoing series designed to help you move from confusion and overwhelm to calm, confident connection.
🎧 Listen now and discover why getting this distinction right might be the missing piece you’ve been looking for.
Take Your First Step: The Emotional Forecast Quiz
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe

Parenting a child with emotional, medical, or mental health needs can quietly affect your own mental health too. When uncertainty is constant, anxiety can build — and it can feel like you’re always bracing for the next hard moment. Whether you are managing sensory processing issues, executive functioning issues, a diagnosis such as ADHD or DMDD, or simply trying to manage your mom-sense that something's off...this episode is for you!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why parenting anxiety often increases when your child has complex needs
What OCD and anxiety can really look like for parents
How to stay calm and grounded when uncertainty triggers fear
Encouragement for parents who are doing their best and still feel stretched
In this episode of the Calm Connection Parenting Podcast, host Jami Kirkbride talks with nurse practitioner and mental health advocate Sarah Michelle Boes about parenting through anxiety and uncertainty while caring for a child with significant needs. Sarah shares her experience parenting her daughter with a life-threatening heart condition while navigating her own diagnosis of OCD and anxiety — and how she’s learned to live with uncertainty without letting fear take control.
If you’re parenting through anxiety and wondering how to care for yourself while caring for your child, this conversation offers reassurance, perspective, and hope.
Start here:
Take the FREE Emotional Forecast Quiz to identify your child’s patterns and your next best step.
CalmConnectionParenting.org
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe

If you’ve ever looked at your child’s meltdowns or emotional outbursts and thought, “I must be doing something wrong,” this episode is for you. We’re talking emotional dysregulation, meltdowns, and why common parenting advice often backfires with neurodivergent kids.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why emotional dysregulation is often mistaken for defiance
How your child’s unique wiring impacts behavior and reactions
Why “be more strict” and “just be consistent” can make things worse
One powerful reframe that helps you respond with calm and clarity
In this conversation, we unpack what’s really happening beneath the behavior—so you can stop second-guessing yourself and start responding with confidence, compassion, and connection. This episode is especially helpful if you’re parenting a child with big emotions, ADHD, DMDD, sensory processing challenges, or traits that don’t fit the “typical” parenting mold.
Start here:
Take the FREE Emotional Forecast Quiz to identify your child’s patterns and your next best step.
CalmConnectionParenting.org
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe

Why does your child have huge reactions to things that feel small? The wrong color cup. A change of plans. A simple “no”… and suddenly it’s full emotional overload.
In this episode, we’re unpacking emotional dysregulation in kids and why emotionally intense, highly sensitive, and neurodivergent children can struggle to manage big feelings - even when they’re trying their best. Whether you are managing sensory processing issues, executive functioning issues, a diagnosis such as ADHD or DMDD, or simply trying to manage your mom-sense that something's off...this episode is for you!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What’s happening in your child’s brain and nervous system during dysregulation
Why logic and discipline don’t work in the heat of the moment
The difference between defiance and dysregulation (and why it changes everything)
The first shift parents can make to reduce escalation and build calm connection
Take the Free Emotional Forecast Quiz: CalmConnectionParenting.org
Join the FREE Busy Working Mom Blueprint Summit!
Send a text and share your thoughts!
Visit CalmConnectionParenting.org to become an insider and receive weekly news. Find information about the coaching program (and scholarships), free parenting resources, and how we can connect.
*Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional for individual support.

Happy and Joyful Children by Free Music • Happy Children Background Music / Joyful U... Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/free-... Music promoted by Audio Library • Happy and Joyful Children – Free Music (No... ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/
Just Believe