Children who suddenly develop intense anxiety, obsessive behaviors, motor tics, or severe emotional dysregulation may be experiencing more than a psychiatric disorder, according to children's mental health expert Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge. Drawing on over 30 years of clinical experience and analysis of more than 10,000 quantitative EEG brain maps, Dr. Roseann will challenge clinicians at the upcoming NeuroImmune Day conference to look beyond symptoms and ask what changed biologically.
Conditions such as Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), PANDAS, Lyme disease, and autoimmune encephalitis can trigger inflammation that affects the brain, immune system, and autonomic nervous system, leading to dramatic overnight changes. Researchers estimate that PANS alone may affect as many as 1 in 200 children, yet many healthcare professionals receive little formal training in recognizing it.
Dr. Roseann's presentation, titled "PANS/PANDAS and the Whole-Body Matrix: Why Dysregulation Isn't Just a Brain Issue," will explore how chronic nervous system activation affects immune function, sleep, gut health, vascular health, executive functioning, and emotional regulation. "We can't ask a child to heal while their nervous system still believes they're under constant threat," she said. "Healing begins when the body finally receives the message that it's safe."
Her clinical framework, Regulation First®, positions nervous system regulation as a biological prerequisite for healing. The framework is also the foundation of her forthcoming book, The Dysregulated Kid: The Parenting Playbook for Helping Your Child Find Calm in a Chaotic World, to be published by Page Two Books on September 22, 2026. The book offers practical tools like the Love Pause® and CALMS Protocol® to help families understand the biology driving behavior.
Dr. Roseann emphasizes that parents who see a sudden change in their child should trust their instincts and seek clinicians who understand the connection between the brain, immune system, and nervous system. "It doesn't automatically provide all the answers," she said, "but it changes the questions we ask — and sometimes that's where healing begins."
For more information about Dr. Roseann's work and her upcoming book, visit www.dysregulatedkid.com.
