Warning signs before it gets big
The small changes many parents notice before a hard moment, and how to write them down.
What parents often notice
Looking back, many parents find that a hard moment rarely came from nowhere. There were small changes first. Every child is different, but parents often describe things like:
- covering ears or eyes, or moving away from noise or light
- pacing, or moving much more, or much less, than usual
- getting quiet, or getting louder
- repeating a word, phrase or question
- a change in breathing, face color or muscle tension
- saying "no" to things they usually enjoy
- clinging, or pushing people away
Some of these are also everyday ways a child copes or has fun. One sign on its own doesn't mean a hard moment is coming. What matters is what you learn about your own child over time.
Writing them down
Early signs are easy to forget once a hard moment is over. The Antecedent, Behavior, ConsequenceA simple way to record a moment: what happened before, what the person did, and what happened after.Learn: Glossary has an optional question, "Did you notice anything before it got big?", with common signs to tap and room for your own words.
After a week or two, the tracker shows which early signs you recorded most often. That's a count, not an explanation, but it gives you and your child's team something concrete to talk about.