On-Demand Parenting Webinars

“Big Kids, Big Emotions: Helping Teens with ADHD and Rejection Sensitivity Improve Emotional Regulation” [Video Replay & Podcast #563]

Access the video replay, listen to the podcast episode (#563), download the slide presentation, and learn how to get a certificate of attendance for this ADHD Experts webinar originally broadcast on June 11, 2025.

ADHD Expert: Sharon Saline, Psy.D. Updated on January 26, 2026
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Episode Description

Does your teen with ADHD overreact to small comments, withdraw suddenly, or seem constantly on edge? They may experience rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), a phenomenon common with ADHD. Not a formal diagnosis, RSD refers to intense feelings of pain following an actual or perceived rejection; a person with RSD may anticipate someone pulling back friendship, love, or support over a gesture, a misunderstanding, or a small disagreement.

Parenting teens with ADHD typically means navigating intense emotional storms, executive functioning challenges, and unpredictable hormonal shifts. When you add RSD to the mix, this combination can feel overwhelming and exhausting for everyone.

This webinar is designed to increase your ability to understand what’s really going on beneath the surface and to offer support through the ups and downs of adolescent sensitivity with compassion and clarity. Award-winning author, international speaker, and consultant Dr. Sharon Saline will explain how to manage the heightened emotional sensitivity in teens that often accompanies ADHD. After discussing the science behind RSD and how it relates to social anxiety, she will explore how hormonal changes in adolescence amplify emotional intensity and increase dysregulation in teens. Dr. Saline will show you how to assist kids in identifying triggers, reducing negative self-talk, and lowering shame. You’ll learn practical, evidence-based strategies for helping your adolescents feel more in control of their emotions, more connected to you, and more confident in themselves.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the connections between ADHD and RSD in teens
  • Learn how hormonal changes during puberty impact brain development, mood swings, and emotional sensitivity
  • Recognize common signs of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) in teens, including emotional shutdowns or outbursts
  • Gain practical tools for de-escalating emotional outbursts and helping your teen name, manage, and recover from big emotions
  • Explore communication strategies that foster trust, reduce shame, and build resilience

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO

Webinar Sponsor

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ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

RSD in ADHD Teens: Resources

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on June 11, 2025, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life and The ADHD Solution Deck (#CommissionsEarned) specializes in working with children, teens, emerging adults and families living with ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, autism, twice exceptionality and mental health issues. Her unique perspective, as a sibling in an ADHD home, combined with decades of experience as a clinical psychologist and educator/clinician consultant, assists her in guiding families and adults toward effective communication and closer connections. She lectures and facilitates workshops internationally on topics such as understanding ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, motivation, different kinds of learners, and the teen brain. Dr. Saline is a regular contributor to ADDitude and Psychology Today, a featured expert on MASS Appeal on WWLP-TV, and a part-time lecturer at the Smith School for Social Work. Her writing has been featured in numerous online and print publications including MSN, The Psychotherapy Networker, Smith College Studies in Social Work, Attention Magazine, ADDitude Magazine, Psych Central, and Inquirer.com. Learn more at www.drsharonsaline.com.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

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