From Con stant
Supervisi on to Growing Independ ence in 12 Months

You planned it perfectly. Quick trip. Off-peak hours. Snacks in your bag. And still — somewhere between the cereal aisle and the checkout — your child is on the floor, hands over ears, completely overwhelmed. Every parent who has lived through this moment knows the cocktail of feelings that follows: embarrassment, helplessness, and that gut-punch of guilt. Strangers stare. Someone mutters something. You scoop up your child and flee. Here's what those strangers don't understan

A meltdown is not a behaviour. It is a neurological event — a full-system overwhelm that bypasses rational thought entirely. Understanding its three distinct phases is the difference between accidentally escalating a crisis and becoming the co-regulating anchor your child desperately needs.