Summer Plan for Your Dysregulated Child That Actually Helps

By Heather Goodwin, MA, HHP, MBSR-P

Heights of Health

The nervous system is not fixed, and summer is the perfect time to address it.

If you read our blog on June 1st about child behavior and nervous system, you already know that nervous system dysregulation is more common in kids and teens than most parents realize, and that it often hides behind behavior problems, mood struggles, and attention difficulties. You may have taken the free assessments that were linked and included in the last week’s blog. Today we’re getting into what the research says actually helps, and exactly what we do at Heights of Health to support kids and families through it. Here are links to those assessments:

•          Child Self Report (ages 6-12)
•          Parent/Caregiver Version (ages 6-12)
•          Teen Self Report (ages 13-17)
•          Parent/Caregiver Version for Teens (ages 13-17)

What Happens When Dysregulation Goes Unaddressed

Research indicates that nervous system dysregulation in children may act as a harbinger of illness and disease in adulthood. Studies show that children who frequently experience emotional overwhelm are more likely to develop internalizing disorders such as anxiety and mood disorders as they grow older. The patterns that take hold in childhood do not simply resolve on their own.

This is not meant to alarm parents. It is meant to underscore why summer is actually the perfect time to intervene. School is out, the schedule is lighter, and there is room to do meaningful, sustainable work without the pressure of Monday morning looming.

So What Actually Helps? 

The research is detailed; regulation is teachable. The nervous system is not fixed. It is plastic, responsive, and capable of learning new patterns at any age. What children need are tools that meet them where they are, taught by people who understand what is actually happening beneath the behavior.

At Heights of Health, our holistic therapists work with children and teens across multiple evidence-based modalities, including:

•         Somatic and body-based regulation tools
•         Breathing techniques and vagal toning practices
•         Mindfulness and grounding approaches adapted for different developmental stages
•         Focus and attention strategies
•         Nervous system education that helps kids understand their own experience
•         Calming individualized supplementation
•         Co-regulation work with parents and caregivers because a child can only regulate as well as the environment around them supports them to.

Genetic-Based Understanding 

Having full knowledge of your child’s genetic blueprint can help you understand how their nervous system responds during stressful events and how you can best support your child.  

The Missing Key: Genetics

When you get your child’s (very confidential) genetics test done with us through our new program, the “Whole Child Blueprint,” you will meet with Heather Goodwin, our Behavior/Educational Specialist and Holistic therapist, to better understand how your child’s genetics are influencing their nervous system regulation during stress.  You will learn how you can provide the best environment for your uniquely made child.  You will also be provided with the best nutrition and lifestyle habits to help your child optimize their unique genetic makeup. These are but a few of the tools you will receive in this program.  Simply call our office to set this up.

A Little “Magic” Device: The Alpha-Stim

Another tool we have found that can help is the Alpha-Stim, a small, FDA-cleared medical device we rent out that uses cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) to gently support nervous system regulation. It delivers a mild, low-level electrical current through ear clip electrodes and, through neuroplasticity, helps rewire brainwave activity toward a calmer, more regulated state. It promotes relaxation, helps balance neurotransmitter levels, and can improve mood, reduce anxiety, and enhance sleep quality.

The research on Alpha-Stim with younger populations is genuinely encouraging. A randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial of children ages 8–16 with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder found significant reductions in both anxiety and depression scores following CES treatment. Research with university students showed that daily home-based use over six weeks produced meaningful changes in anxiety and depression symptoms.

For teens especially, the appeal of a non-invasive, drug-free tool they can use independently is significant. It does not replace therapeutic work. It supports it by helping the nervous system become more available for the regulation skills we are teaching.

A Summer Investment That Pays Off All Year

Think of what it actually costs a child to walk into a new school year dysregulated. The teacher who misreads their shutdown as indifference. The friendship that falls apart after an emotional outburst. The test they blanked on because their brain was flooded. The stomachache every Sunday night. The exhaustion that never really lifts.

Now imagine your child walking in a regulated way. Present. Able to handle disappointment without unraveling. Able to ask for help. Able to sit in the discomfort of something hard without the whole system going offline.

That is what we are working toward this summer.

Start by having your child take the age-appropriate Nervous System Dysregulation Assessment and complete the accompanying Parent/Caregiver Version, available in last week’s blog for free, or contact us directly and we’ll send it right to you.

Your child is not broken.

Their nervous system is just begging for some support. Don’t be the gerbil. Be the parent who gives their child the gift of a lifetime.

Learn more here: Whole Child Blueprint

Contact us at 713-861-6777 to learn about next steps and make this summer count!

With care,

Heather Goodwin, MA, HHP, MBSR-P

Heights of Health

713-861-6777  |  [email protected] | heightsofhealth.com