Making Sense of Meltdowns | Episode 5
Episode 5: From Autism Diagnosis to College Freshman
Making sense of meltdowns.
Within the Village Engagement Matrix™, children between the ages of 2–4 years old are in the Sprout Stage while parents and caregivers are in the Explorer Phase.
During the Explorer Phase, the role of the parent or caregiver is to discover who their child is as an individual by observing their interests, preferences, strengths, sensitivities, communication style, and unique way of engaging with the world.
In Episode 5, we discuss meltdowns and how learning my child helped me support the development of self-regulation skills.
As I came to understand my son’s emotional patterns, I created a strategy called reset time.
Reset time gave him an opportunity to pause, regulate his emotions, and recognize that he had choices in how he responded.
That strategy became part of his development.
Episode 5, we continue our conversation about meltdowns by discussing how a service provider misinterpreted my son’s emotional expression, made decisions based on that misinterpretation, and impacted us as a family.
Today, as an Oak Tree, he still uses an evolved version of reset time. He has learned to recognize when he needs space, time, and regulation before moving forward.
Through the lens of the Village Engagement Matrix™, this episode illustrates how intentional support during the Explorer Phase can help a child begin developing emotional regulation, agency, and self-awareness that continues to grow over time. ❤️🌰🌱🌿🌳
Comments