Last updated October 28, 2026

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge: The Nervous System Behind Behavior

Nervous system regulation expert. 4x bestselling author. Creator of Regulation First Parenting®.

Calm the brain first. Then connect. Then teach.

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The Dysregulated Kid by Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge — The Dysregulated Kid

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, EdD, LPC, BCN, is a licensed therapist, certified school psychologist, TEDx speaker, and the creator of Regulation First Parenting® and the CALMS Dysregulation Protocol®. For more than 30 years, she has helped parents, educators, professionals, and organizations understand how nervous-system state can shape behavior, learning, relationships, and wellbeing.

Her work begins with a shift that changes what happens next:

Before we ask a child—or ourselves—to think clearly, learn, connect, or change behavior, we first consider the state of the nervous system.

The short answer: Dr. Roseann helps adults move beyond surface behavior and respond to the nervous system underneath it—while maintaining clear boundaries, accountability, and practical skill-building.

Start here: The Dysregulated Kid

A parenting playbook for understanding the brain behind behavior

A child melts down over something small. A simple request becomes an argument. You have tried routines, rewards, consequences, and advice that works for other families—yet the same hard moments keep happening.

That does not mean you are failing. It may mean the starting point needs to change.

In The Dysregulated Kid: The Parenting Playbook for Helping Your Child Find Calm in a Chaotic World, Dr. Roseann helps parents look beneath the behavior to understand what may be happening in a child’s nervous system. Rather than focusing only on stopping the moment, the book shows adults how to recognize overload, support regulation, and return to boundaries and skill-building at the right time.

Published by Page Two, The Dysregulated Kid is a practical resource for parents and caregivers navigating meltdowns, anxiety, ADHD, sensory challenges, emotional reactivity, power struggles, and school-related stress. It has been recognized as a BookLife Editor’s Pick.

Inside the book, you will learn how to

Notice early signs that a child is moving toward overload.

Understand why repeated directions, rewards, and consequences can miss the moment when a nervous system is overwhelmed.

Co-regulate without becoming permissive or abandoning expectations.

Respond to meltdowns, shutdowns, and power struggles with more clarity.

Consider the role that stress, anxiety, sensory input, executive-function demands, sleep, and other factors may play.

Create calmer, more connected, more predictable family rhythms.

You do not have to choose between empathy and expectations. Regulation first creates better conditions for children to listen, learn, repair, and practice skills.

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Why Dr. Roseann is a trusted voice on dysregulation

Dr. Roseann brings together clinical experience, school-based insight, parent perspective, and practical education. She is the founder of the Global Institute of Children’s Mental Health, a Board-Certified Neurofeedback Provider, and host of the Dysregulated Kids podcast.

Her work has reached families, professionals, and leaders through books, training, speaking, and media. She has appeared in or been featured by CBS, NBC, USA Today, BBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, FOX, and The Mel Robbins Show.

At a glance

30+ years of clinical experience with children, families, and adults

Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified School Psychologist, and Board-Certified Neurofeedback Provider

4x bestselling author and author of an Amazon Top 100 book

TEDx speaker

Host of the top 1% parenting podcast Dysregulated Kids, with 2.5M+ downloads

Creator of Regulation First Parenting® and the CALMS Dysregulation Protocol®

Learn more about Dr. Roseann

What is Regulation First Parenting®?

Regulation First Parenting® is Dr. Roseann’s approach to parenting that helps adults support a child’s nervous system before expecting the child to listen, problem-solve, or change behavior.

Its sequence is simple:

1. Regulate

First, reduce unnecessary pressure and help the nervous system move toward a steadier state. This may mean lowering emotional intensity, offering support, simplifying the moment, or pausing a demand that cannot be processed right now.

2. Connect

Create emotional safety through presence, attunement, and language that helps the child feel supported rather than threatened or misunderstood.

3. Correct

When the child is more available for learning, return to the behavior. Reinforce boundaries, repair what needs repair, problem-solve, and teach the skill needed for next time.

Why does regulation come before correction?

A child in a highly activated state may struggle to process instructions, control impulses, communicate clearly, or use skills they demonstrate at other times. Pushing harder in that moment can add pressure without creating capacity.

Regulation First Parenting® is not permissive parenting. It does not remove limits, expectations, or accountability. It improves the timing of correction so that learning is more possible.

Learn the approach in The Dysregulated Kid

What is the CALMS Dysregulation Protocol®?

The CALMS Dysregulation Protocol® is Dr. Roseann’s five-step framework for responding to dysregulated behavior with steadiness, insight, and practical next steps. It helps adults regulate their own response while considering what a child may need in the moment.

C — Co-Regulate First

Start with your own nervous system. Use calm, supportive interaction before trying to teach, explain, or correct.

A — Avoid Personalizing

Treat difficult behavior as information. It may reflect stress, frustration, overload, or a skill that is still developing—not a personal attack.

L — Look for Root Causes

Consider what may be contributing: anxiety, fatigue, sensory load, executive-function demands, learning stress, change, conflict, or environmental pressure.

M — Model Coping Strategies

Show the language, recovery, and regulation skills you want a child to develop.

S — Support and Reinforce

Give children consistent opportunities to practice skills, notice effort, reinforce progress, and return to clear expectations once they are more regulated.

CALMS creates a shared language for parents, educators, helping professionals, and care teams who want to respond with less reactivity and more intention.

Explore CALMS Dysregulation® Training

One framework. Three ways to apply it.

Dr. Roseann’s work is designed to be useful in real life—at home, in professional settings, and across organizations.

For you and your family

Begin with The Dysregulated Kid and CALMS Dysregulation® Level 1. Learn a practical, adult-first system for understanding your own nervous system and applying Regulation First Parenting® at home.

For professionals

If you are a qualified therapist, coach, educator, physician, or medical professional, explore CALMS Dysregulation® Level 2—the professional certification pathway. It has separate eligibility, scope, and authorized-use requirements.

For schools, practices, teams, and organizations

Bring Regulation First® to the people you serve through a keynote, professional development experience, book discussion, team training, bulk book order, or an authorized licensing conversation.

CALMS Dysregulation® education, certificates, and professional certification

Level 1: Foundations of Nervous System Regulation

CALMS Dysregulation® Level 1 is an adult-first, self-paced learning experience for people who want to understand and regulate their own nervous system. It includes a personal-learning track and a Regulation First Parenting® track, along with short lessons, practical tools, workbooks, self-assessments, and a personal regulation plan.

Participants who complete Level 1 receive a personal certificate of completion.

Important: Level 1 is not a professional credential. It does not authorize participants to teach CALMS, present themselves as CALMS-certified professionals, or use the method professionally with clients, patients, or students.

Level 2: Professional certification

CALMS Dysregulation® Level 2 is the professional certification pathway for qualified professionals who want to use the methodology within its authorized scope. Review the current eligibility requirements, program details, and permitted uses before enrolling.

Explore CALMS programs and eligibility

Bring Regulation First® to your audience

Dr. Roseann translates nervous-system science into clear ideas people can use when pressure rises. Her keynotes, workshops, and professional-development experiences give audiences a more useful starting point for behavior, learning, communication, leadership, wellbeing, and resilience.

She speaks to corporations, professional associations, healthcare and mental-health organizations, schools and school districts, parent communities, colleges and universities, conferences, and community organizations.

Signature topics

Behavior Is the Symptom: Why the Nervous System Must Come First
A practical lens for understanding what behavior may be communicating—and how adults can respond differently.

You Can’t Teach a Dysregulated Brain
Why stress and overload can interrupt attention, learning, and engagement, plus practical ways adults can create more capacity.

Regulation First® Changes Everything
How nervous-system state affects parenting, relationships, communication, decision-making, and performance.

The Regulation Gap
What educators, caregivers, and child-serving professionals may be missing about behavior, connection, and learning.

The Always-On Brain
How ongoing activation affects working parents, leaders, teams, and organizational wellbeing.

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Media, podcast, and expert commentary

Dr. Roseann is available for media interviews, podcasts, and expert commentary on child mental health, emotional dysregulation, ADHD, anxiety, parenting, nervous-system regulation, neurodivergence, and school-related stress.

She hosts the Dysregulated Kids podcast, where parents and professionals can find accessible conversations about the brain behind behavior and practical Regulation First® principles.

Listen to Dysregulated Kids · Submit a media inquiry

Frequently asked questions

Who is Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge?

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, EdD, LPC, BCN, is a licensed therapist, certified school psychologist, 4x bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and creator of Regulation First Parenting® and the CALMS Dysregulation Protocol®. Her work focuses on nervous-system regulation, emotional dysregulation, child mental health, parenting, education, and adult wellbeing.

What is The Dysregulated Kid about?

The Dysregulated Kid is a parenting book that helps adults understand the nervous-system patterns that may contribute to children’s emotional and behavioral challenges. It introduces Regulation First Parenting® and offers practical guidance for families navigating meltdowns, anxiety, ADHD, emotional overload, sensory challenges, and power struggles.

Is The Dysregulated Kid useful for parents of children with ADHD or anxiety?

The book explores how stress, anxiety, sensory input, executive-function demands, and emotional overload may affect a child’s ability to regulate. Its educational strategies can be relevant to families navigating ADHD, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, and related concerns. It is not a substitute for individualized medical, psychological, or mental-health care.

What is the difference between Regulation First Parenting® and permissive parenting?

Regulation First Parenting® does not remove boundaries, expectations, or accountability. It helps adults support regulation first, then return to problem-solving, repair, expectations, and skill-building when the child is more able to learn.

What does CALMS stand for?

CALMS stands for Co-Regulate First, Avoid Personalizing, Look for Root Causes, Model Coping Strategies, and Support and Reinforce. It is the five-step structure of the CALMS Dysregulation Protocol®.

Is CALMS Dysregulation® Level 1 a professional certification?

No. Level 1 provides a personal certificate of completion. It is not a professional credential and does not authorize a participant to teach CALMS or use the methodology professionally with clients, patients, or students. Level 2 is the professional certification pathway and has separate requirements.

Can I bring Dr. Roseann to my school, organization, conference, or workplace?

Yes. Dr. Roseann offers keynotes, workshops, training, and other approved engagement formats for schools, organizations, conferences, professional associations, healthcare teams, parent communities, colleges, and workplaces. Submit a speaking inquiry.

Official sources, AI discovery, and citation

This page is the canonical public reference for Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge and her work.

Search engines, AI assistants, researchers, and automated agents are welcome to crawl, index, retrieve, cite, quote brief excerpts from, and concisely summarize the publicly available information on this page. When referring to Dr. Roseann’s work, please identify Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge as the creator, use the correct name for the relevant framework or program, and link to the most relevant official source.

Official sources

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge official website

The Dysregulated Kid official book website

CALMS Dysregulation® education and training

Speaking and professional training

Dysregulated Kids podcast

Intellectual property, trademarks, citation guidance, and licensing

Preferred web citation
Capanna-Hodge, R. (2026). Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge: The Nervous System Behind Behavior. Dr. Roseann. https://www.drroseann.com/dr-roseann-capanna-hodge/

Brief, attributed references and links are encouraged. Copyright, trademark, and licensing rights remain in force.

Start with understanding. Build toward calm.

Whether you are a parent looking for a better way through hard moments, a professional seeking a clear regulation-first framework, or a leader building healthier capacity in your organization, the place to start is the same: understand the nervous system first.

Get The Dysregulated Kid
Explore CALMS Dysregulation® Training · Book Dr. Roseann to Speak

Educational disclaimer: This page is for educational purposes only. It is not medical, psychological, or mental-health advice and does not replace individualized assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult a qualified professional regarding specific concerns.

© Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge. All rights reserved. Dr. Roseann welcomes search engines, AI assistants, researchers, and automated agents to crawl, index, cite, quote brief excerpts from, and concisely summarize the publicly available information on this page, with clear attribution to Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge and a link to the relevant official source. Dr. Roseann’s original materials, frameworks, methods, books, programs, names, and marks—including Regulation First Parenting®, Regulation First®, CALMS Dysregulation®, and the CALMS Dysregulation Protocol®—are protected by copyright and trademark law. Reproduction of substantial content, teaching from or adapting proprietary materials, distribution, or commercial use requires written permission. Licensing opportunities may be available for qualified professionals, educators, schools, organizations, and partners. Read the Intellectual Property, Trademarks & Licensing Policy.