When Focus and Regulation Feel Out of Reach

When a child is constantly moving, distracted, impulsive, or shuts down in overwhelm, it’s easy to label the behavior—but harder to ask: what is this child’s nervous system trying to tell us?

 

I work with children who have been diagnosed with ADHD—or who struggle with similar patterns of dysregulation, inattention, or emotional reactivity. Rather than trying to manage behavior through external controls, I look at the internal state of the child: reflexes that haven’t fully integrated, a nervous system stuck in survival, and a body that can’t quite find stillness or focus because it doesn’t yet feel safe.

 

This approach supports:

• Releasing chronic tension patterns that make stillness feel unsafe

• Integrating retained reflexes that affect attention and impulse control

• Supporting regulation from the inside out—through co-regulation, rhythm, and relationship

• Building awareness of internal cues (hunger, fatigue, need for movement)

• Helping children feel capable, centered, and connected—not just compliant

 

When we address the body and the nervous system, focus often becomes possible—not through force, but through felt safety.