😤 The After-School Meltdown Isn't What You Think

Your child holds it together at school and falls apart at home. A 2026 study explains exactly why — and it changes how you should respond.

This episode covers the science of masking as a cumulative regulatory process, the 30-minute After-School Reset framework (Arrive → Decompress → Reconnect), and the exact sentence to use in your next IEP meeting.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 The disconnect between school and home

2:26 The two programs your child runs all day

5:12 Why "How was your day?" is the worst question

5:48 The After-School Reset framework

9:45 Your calm is the co-regulation

12:35 What to say in the IEP meeting

13:22 The bottom line

REFERENCES:

• Masking as a cumulative regulatory process in education: A thematic analysis of autistic pupils' school experiences. (2026). OSF Preprints. https://osf.io/9epr2

• Parent emotion regulation, dyadic interaction, and physiological regulation as predictors of child emotion regulation in the context of ADHD symptomatology. (2025). Virginia Tech.

Need those exact sentences for your next IEP meeting? Read the full article on substack.