Why Some Kids Implode and Others Explode
About this episode
Dr. Kristi explores why two children with the same struggles can exhibit vastly different behaviors and how to address their needs.
Two kids. Same overwhelm, same stress, sometimes even the same diagnosis. And somehow one of them is loud about it, and the other one disappears. In this episode, Dr. Kristi breaks down why the exact same struggle can produce two completely different-looking kids — and why it has nothing to do with which one is "doing better." Drawing on a real case of two brothers with identical diagnoses and opposite presentations, she introduces the psychological framework of internalizing and externalizing behavior: two directions the same overwhelm can travel, and why one of those directions is so much easier to miss. You'll learn: Why the "quiet, easy" kid may be carrying just as much as the one causing all the phone calls home What the research actually shows about internalizing and externalizing in autistic and ADHD kids — and where that research is often misread Why a child's direction isn't fixed, and how the same kid can shift between the two depending on the day, the setting, or what else is going on at home What to actually do differently for a child who explodes outward versus one who goes silent Resources in this episode: Why Your Child Can't Just Calm Down, Dr. Kristi's free video…
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