Overpowering Emotions Podcast: Helping Children and Teens Manage Big Feels Dr. Caroline Buzanko

Today I jump into Part 2 on the anxiety-autism connection and how to manage both. 



Last week I discussed the link between autism and anxiety and important considerations when supporting autistic children and teens. This week I continue the conversation by discussing the variables that maintain anxiety and how to best manage anxiety.   



The link between anxiety and autism highlights the importance of addressing the unique considerations of anxiety in our autistic children and teens. Fortunately, there are many strategies that can help them manage their anxiety while also improving socialization, mental health, academic performance, independence, and quality of life.   



Whatever we do to support these children and teens, it is important to maintain empathy, understanding, and a commitment to evidence-based practices. In doing so, we can help our autistic children and teens to achieve their full potential and to live fulfilling lives.  



If you are a mental health professional who diagnoses autism, be sure to check out my workshop on differentiating Autism from ADHD and other common comorbidities, including anxiety and trauma: https://koru-learning-institute.thinkific.com/courses/differential-diagnosis

Want to learn more with me? Be sure to check out my training (including my upcoming workshops on Differentiating Autism, ADHD and other common comorbidities) and professional consultation opportunities: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/upcoming-events/



AND, if you love the show, be sure to rate Overpowering Emotions on Apple podcast! http://apple.co/3ysFijh



About Dr. Caroline Buzanko
Dr. Caroline Buzanko is a Psychologist. Mother. International Speaker. Yoda of anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With over twenty years working with children, teens, and their families, her focus is on developing long-term success and maximizing their resilience. She also trains other mental health professionals and educators to optimize their effectiveness conducting psychological assessments and working with children and teens.
Get in touch
Website: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-caroline-buzanko/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCarolineBuzanko/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.carolinebuzanko/

This week I continue the comorbidity series. This is Part 1 of my dive into unpacking the anxiety-autism connection.In this week's installment of my comorbidity series, I dive into Part 1 of the anxiety-autism connection in (Part 1). 



Anxiety is a common experience for many kiddos, but autistic children and teens are particularly vulnerable. Today I discuss what is happening in the brain and the differences between autistic-related anxiety and our shared understanding of anxiety. I also discuss the difference between OCD behaviours and stimming.



The link between anxiety and autism is complex and multifaceted. The link between anxiety and autism is multifaceted, and several factors contribute to this link. Social differences, differences in processing information, sensory sensitivities, alexithymia, and intolerance to uncertainty are just a few examples.



Understanding the difference between autism-related anxieties and co-occurring anxiety is critical to develop individualized strategies that will be most effective for managing anxiety and promoting success for our children and teens.



If you are a mental health professional who diagnoses autism, be sure to check out my workshop on differentiating Autism from ADHD and other common comorbidities, including anxiety and trauma: https://koru-learning-institute.thinkific.com/courses/differential-diagnosis





Want to learn more with me? Be sure to check out my training (including my upcoming workshops on Differentiating Autism, ADHD and other common comorbidities) and professional consultation opportunities: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/upcoming-events/



AND, if you love the show, be sure to rate Overpowering Emotions on Apple podcast! http://apple.co/3ysFijh



About Dr. Caroline Buzanko
Dr. Caroline Buzanko is a Psychologist. Mother. International Speaker. Yoda of anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With over twenty years working with children, teens, and their families, her focus is on developing long-term success and maximizing their resilience. She also trains other mental health professionals and educators to optimize their effectiveness conducting psychological assessments and working with children and teens.
Get in touch
Website: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-caroline-buzanko/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCarolineBuzanko/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.carolinebuzanko/

This week is Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Jeremy Sharp, as first seen on The Testing Psychologist (https://www.thetestingpsychologist.com/348-differentiating-adhd-asd-part-2-w-dr-caroline-buzanko/) in which I dive into a discussion of differentiating ADHD & ASD. Definitely check out Part 1 before you tackle this one!



In part 2 today, I discuss:


The overlap and differentiation of “Part B” of DSM ASD symptoms from ADHD symptoms
The developmental considerations of ASD and ADHD
Why we shouldn't compare males and females
The assessment process and tools to do a comprehensive assessment

Cool Things Mentioned


Caroline’s previous episodes (one & two) on parental perceptions of the evaluation
Caroline’s training for differentially diagnosing ASD and ADHD: https://koru-learning-institute.thinkific.com/courses/differential-diagnosis(use code TTP25 for 25% off!)






Want to learn more with me? Be sure to check out my training (including my upcoming workshops on Differentiating Autism, ADHD and other common comorbidities) and professional consultation opportunities: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/upcoming-events/



AND, if you love the show, be sure to rate Overpowering Emotions on Apple podcast! http://apple.co/3ysFijh



About Dr. Caroline Buzanko
Dr. Caroline Buzanko is a Psychologist. Mother. International Speaker. Yoda of anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With over twenty years working with children, teens, and their families, her focus is on developing long-term success and maximizing their resilience. She also trains other mental health professionals and educators to optimize their effectiveness conducting psychological assessments and working with children and teens.
Get in touch
Website: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-caroline-buzanko/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCarolineBuzanko/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.carolinebuzanko/

This week I am sharing an episode first seen on The Testing Psychologist (https://www.thetestingpsychologist.com/346-differentiating-adhd-autism-part-1-w-dr-caroline-buzanko/) in which I dive into a discussion of differentiating ADHD & ASD with Dr. Jeremy Sharp.



For you testing psychologists out there, how many kids have you seen over the last few years with rule-outs of both ADHD and autism spectrum disorder? If you’re anything like our practice…hundreds. These are the two most common referral questions in our practice, yet they’re also challenging to tease apart.



In part 1 today, we discuss:


Why it’s important for clinicians to tease these apart
Neuroanatomical similarities and differences between the two
The overlap and differentiation of “Part A” of DSM ASD symptoms from ADHD symptoms

Cool Things Mentioned


Caroline’s previous episodes (one & two) on parental perceptions of the evaluation
Caroline’s training for differentially diagnosing ASD and ADHD: https://koru-learning-institute.thinkific.com/courses/differential-diagnosis(use code TTP25 for 25% off!)



About Dr. Caroline Buzanko
Dr. Caroline Buzanko is a Psychologist. Mother. International Speaker. Yoda of anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With over twenty years working with children, teens, and their families, her focus is on developing long-term success and maximizing their resilience. She also trains other mental health professionals and educators to optimize their effectiveness conducting psychological assessments and working with children and teens.
Get in touch:
Website: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-caroline-buzanko/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCarolineBuzanko/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.carolinebuzanko/
Overpowering Emotions Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/overpowering-emotions-podcast-helping-children-and/id1618828819
Want to learn more with me? Be sure to check out my training (including my upcoming workshops on Differentiating Autism, ADHD and other common comorbidities) and professional consultation opportunities: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/upcoming-events/



AND, if you love the show, be sure to rate Overpowering Emotions on Apple podcast! http://apple.co/3ysFijh



About Dr. Caroline Buzanko
Dr. Caroline Buzanko is a Psychologist. Mother. International Speaker. Yoda of anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With over twenty years working with children, teens, and their families, her focus is on developing long-term success and maximizing their resilience. She also trains other mental health professionals and educators to optimize their effectiveness conducting psychological assessments and working with children and teens.
Get in touch
Website: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-caroline-buzanko/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCarolineBuzanko/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.carolinebuzanko/

In this episode of Overpowering Emotions, I continue talking about ODD and anxiety and, importantly, how to manage them.



There are numerous considerations when we have a kiddo with an ODD diagnosis, like addressing their (mis)interpretations of situations. But, even more importantly, I discuss the key environmental issues that must be addressed before we can ever work on kids' skills.



Part 2 of this ODD/anxiety series is critical to optimize our success in working with children and teens diagnosed with ODD and their families.   If you haven't already, be sure to watch Part 1 to first understand these kiddos' emotion  (dys)regulation and information processing biases, along with their developmental age, parent-child interactions, accommodations, and control.



Warning: I ran into some technical difficulties and didn't realize my mic was on the fritz so the last part does sound a little tinnier - apologies!



Want to learn more with me? Be sure to check out my training (including my upcoming workshops on Differentiating Autism, ADHD and other common comorbidities) and professional consultation opportunities: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/upcoming-events/



AND, if you love the show, be sure to rate Overpowering Emotions on Apple podcast! http://apple.co/3ysFijh



About Dr. Caroline Buzanko
Dr. Caroline Buzanko is a Psychologist. Mother. International Speaker. Yoda of anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With over twenty years working with children, teens, and their families, her focus is on developing long-term success and maximizing their resilience. She also trains other mental health professionals and educators to optimize their effectiveness conducting psychological assessments and working with children and teens.
Get in touch
Website: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-caroline-buzanko/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCarolineBuzanko/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.carolinebuzanko/

Episode #71 of Overpowering Emotions

Today I talk about the link between Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and anxiety.



I walk through several important considerations to lay the foundation to support these children and teens.



The underlying processes of anxiety and ODD are nearly identical. Children or teens who experience either have trouble controlling their emotions and their reactions to those emotions.



We know anxiety shows up differently from one person to the next (e.g., some will withdraw while others may be aggressive and overly disruptive). However, what is the same for both is the underlying anxiety that drives those behavioural reactions.



Indeed, ODD kids pay attention to negative information in their environment and misinterpret situations as threatening – just like anxious kids do. And both avoid. However, those who avoid aggressively (and tend to misinterpret the signals as even more threatening than others) are the ones most likely diagnosed with ODD.



This episode is critical to understand what is going on for these children and teens, including emotion  (dys)regulation and information processing biases, along with their developmental age, parent-child interactions, accommodations, and control. With this knowledge, we can be far more helpful in our interventions to support them.



In the video I also talked about a few things you can check out:



Mad Cat Burger and Fries video (to see how other animals tend to respond aggressively when scared): https://ca.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=youtube+mad+cat+burger+and+fries&type=E211CA105G0#id=1&vid=19ab6b1ac4fa91ace8abf5f52488bda6&action=click



A short video on revenge behaviours from my 30 day parenting challenge:  https://youtu.be/He1_jdhm9mE



And the accompanying parenting challenge workbook:  https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/parentingchallengebook/

Want to learn more with me? Be sure to check out my training (including my upcoming workshops on Differentiating Autism, ADHD and other common comorbidities) and professional consultation opportunities: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/upcoming-events/



AND, if you love the show, be sure to rate Overpowering Emotions on Apple podcast! http://apple.co/3ysFijh



About Dr. Caroline Buzanko
Dr. Caroline Buzanko is a Psychologist. Mother. International Speaker. Yoda of anxiety. ADHD Superhero. And Changer of Lives. With over twenty years working with children, teens, and their families, her focus is on developing long-term success and maximizing their resilience. She also trains other mental health professionals and educators to optimize their effectiveness conducting psychological assessments and working with children and teens.
Get in touch
Website: https://drcarolinebuzanko.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-caroline-buzanko/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCarolineBuzanko/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.carolinebuzanko/