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Emotional overload ๐ซ
Children with ADHD are often more sensitive to emotional intensity โ but itโs not just about anger.
Research shows that many children with ADHD have differences in emotional regulation, threat detection, and sensory processing.
This means their brains can register emotional tone (tension, urgency, frustration, raised voices) more strongly and for longer than neurotypical peers making them more sensitive.
It isnโt that parentsโ emotions cause behaviour. Itโs that an ADHD nervous system can struggle to filter and recover from emotional input once activated.
What this can look like:
โข big reactions to relatively small stressors
โข escalation when voices rise or situations feel urgent
โข impulsive behaviour (hitting, shouting, bolting) before thinking kicks in
โข shutdowns or overwhelm rather than reflection
Importantly, this is not a parenting failure โ and it doesnโt mean parents must suppress all emotion.
What actually helps, according to evidence-based approaches:
โข calm, predictable boundaries (โI wonโt let you hitโ)
โข co-regulation before self-regulation develops
โข emotional repair after moments of rupture
โข reducing repeated verbal correction during dysregulation
โข modelling emotional recovery, not perfection
Discipline works best after regulation โ not during overwhelm.
Sensitivity to emotional intensity isnโt a weakness. Itโs part of how an ADHD brain processes information.
When children feel safe enough to calm, theyโre far more able to learn skills like impulse control, empathy, and emotional awareness.
Supportive environments donโt remove boundaries โ they make boundaries effective.
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Emotional overload ๐ซ
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