When a child suddenly develops intense anxiety, obsessive behaviors, motor tics, or emotional dysregulation, parents often describe it as a switch flipping overnight. According to children's mental health expert Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, these dramatic changes may have biological drivers that are frequently overlooked. Drawing on over 30 years of clinical experience and analysis of more than 10,000 quantitative EEG brain maps, Dr. Roseann challenges clinicians to look beyond symptoms and consider how the nervous system, immune system, and brain interact when a child changes abruptly.
At NeuroImmune Day, a conference focused on neuroimmune health, Dr. Roseann will present "PANS/PANDAS and the Whole-Body Matrix: Why Dysregulation Isn't Just a Brain Issue." She argues that conditions such as Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS), Lyme disease, and autoimmune encephalitis can trigger inflammation affecting the brain, immune system, and autonomic nervous system. What looks like anxiety may be neuroinflammation; defiance may be a nervous system locked in survival mode. Researchers estimate that PANS alone may affect 1 in 200 children, yet many healthcare professionals receive little training in recognizing it.
Dr. Roseann emphasizes that healing begins with the nervous system. "When the brain and body remain locked in chronic survival mode, healing becomes much more difficult," she explains. Her clinical framework, Regulation First®, views nervous system regulation as a biological prerequisite for healing. She notes that the nervous system influences emotional regulation, executive functioning, sleep, digestion, immune function, and a child's ability to benefit from therapy. At NeuroImmune Day, she will share insights on how chronic nervous system activation impacts immune function, sleep, gut health, vascular health, and emotional regulation.
For parents, Dr. Roseann encourages trusting their instincts and seeking medical evaluation from clinicians who understand the connection between the brain, immune system, and nervous system. Her upcoming book, The Dysregulated Kid: The Parenting Playbook for Helping Your Child Find Calm in a Chaotic World, published by Page Two Books on September 22, 2026, offers practical tools grounded in the Regulation First® framework. Available for pre-order at dysregulatedkid.com, the book includes strategies like the Love Pause®, CALMS Protocol®, and 10-Minute Resets.
Dr. Roseann is available for media interviews and has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, NBC, CBS, Fox, and The Mel Robbins Show. More information is available at drroseann.com.
