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Notes for the hard days

Practical, sourced articles for parents. Plain words you can use on a hard day.

Articles

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  • Understanding meltdowns5 min readComing soon

    Meltdown or tantrum? What's different, and why it changes what helps

    From the outside they can look the same, but a meltdown is overwhelm, not a strategy. This post explains the difference in plain words, using what autistic people say a meltdown feels like from the inside, and why knowing which one you're seeing changes how you respond and what you log.

  • Working with your care team6 min readComing soon

    On the autism evaluation waitlist? How to use the months before your appointment

    Waits for an evaluation are often long. This post covers what you can do now: keep a simple meltdown and behavior log, gather school and daycare notes, write down your questions, and ask your pediatrician what support your child can get while you wait.

  • Everyday life5 min readComing soon

    Bad night, hard day: how to spot the link between sleep and meltdowns

    Sleep problems are common in autistic children, and poor sleep can make daytime behavior harder. This post shows how to log sleep alongside meltdowns so you can see whether rough nights line up with rough days, and what to bring to your pediatrician if they do.

  • Everyday life6 min readComing soon

    Fine at school, falling apart at home: understanding after-school meltdowns

    If teachers say your child is fine but home after 3 pm is a different story, you're not imagining it. This post explains masking (also called camouflaging), why holding it together all day can be exhausting, and how to log after-school meltdowns so you can talk about them with the school and your BCBA.

  • Working with your care team5 min readComing soon

    How to share meltdown data with your child's school team

    Your logs can help the school see what you see at home and help you see what happens there. This post covers what to share, how to put it on one page, and how to raise it at an IEP meeting, where the team has to consider your concerns and, if behavior gets in the way of learning, positive behavior supports.

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