Dr. Daniela Krotzer

09/28/2025

09/17/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BXEuY3i7Y/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/17/2025

What we already know from decades of research into adolescent social, emotional, and biological development provides a clear roadmap to identify the urgent risks posed by AI. It is critical that we act now to prioritize children's well-being.

Read the full testimony from APA Chief of Psychology Dr. Mitch Prinstein: https://at.apa.org/bdfe00

09/10/2025

Strategies for de-escalation used by special education teachers! 💕

09/10/2025

Today, on World Su***de Prevention Day, I want to say this: You are not a burden. You are not alone. And the world is better with you in it.

09/10/2025

OCD isn't always visible! While the media representation of OCD often revolves around visible behavioral compulsions like hand-washing or checking, OCD compulsions can also be entirely mental. It's not uncommon for someone to behave entirely "normally" while still struggling with intense, debilitating OCD symptoms. Here are a few invisible or 'hidden' symptoms of OCD - have you experienced any of these? What other symptoms would you add?

09/08/2025

PDA isn't the only type of 'Demand Avoidance', and it's a very rare presentation.

Here is a little bit of information on the different types of demand avoidance, it's important we investigate them when a child/adult is demand avoidant so we can understand the real reasons behind it. Here's a little bit of information on these...

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AVOIDANCE
This is when certain tasks prove difficult due to executive function difficulties or impairments - such as starting a task or using one's working memory. We have 7 executive functions that are constantly in use every day. Give them a google to understand more!

SENSORY AVOIDANCE
When an environment isn't a 'sensory match' for a person, it can be overwhelming or over/under-stimulating and this can naturally lead to a person avoiding that environment. We have 8 senses and it's important we understand them and how environments affect them in order to know if sensory avoidance is an issue.

LOW SELF-ESTEEM BASED AVOIDANCE
When a person has low self-esteem and low self-efficacy it stands to reason that they will fear failing and this can put huge pressures on them. The easiest way to rid that pressure is to avoid the activity altogether. With neurodivergent individuals Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria may also play a part in this.

ANXIETY DRIVEN AVOIDANCE
Think about it... If a person, environment or object causes anxiety in someone it's very natural and rational for them to avoid the cause of the anxiety. It's a way of keeping oneself safe.

PATHOLOGICAL DEMAND AVOIDANCE
This is a really rare presentation and is linked to the demand (not necessarily the activity). The demand will trigger anxiety which leads for a 'pervasive drive for autonomy', or the desperate need to be in control in order to bring anxiety down. This need for control can often become the overriding factor in the situation, and can often appear 'irrational' where the demand avoidant response seems unnecessarily excessive or extreme. You may also find ALL of the other reasons for demand avoidance are present in a person with PDA.

Always great information from Sunshine Support❤️!

09/07/2025

For some, love means safety and feeling chosen, while for others, it's a tease and a disappointment. But with a better understanding of love, we're more likely to make choices that lead us to it.

09/06/2025

and

Interoception awareness is something I’ve recently learned about. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it is considered the “eighth sense” dealing with the internal state of the body. Research suggests it’s related to a condition many of us autistics also have, alexithymia (difficulty with identifying and describing feelings).

Interoception explains so much about my life! It explains how I can easily forget to eat or drink water, I feel pain at a very intense level, or I don’t notice when my heart rate skyrockets.

I am glad I am finally learning more about my body so I can take better care of myself. Do you have issues with interoception awareness? If so, how have you learned to improve your awareness? What coping mechanisms have you found useful?

-f.au.n

Image credit of human body to Tahir Zaman on pngtree.

09/05/2025

While su***de is one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., it is preventable. This Su***de Prevention Month, let’s spread hope, raise awareness and support one another. 💙

Su***de Prevention Month resources: https://bit.ly/3AU0NgW