Psyched2Parent: Turning Brain Science into Tiny Wins for Parents

Fine at School, Melting at Home: The After-School Crash Episode summary Why does your child seem fine at school, camp, or practice, then melt down the second they get in the car or walk through the door? In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude breaks down the after-school crash: why kids may hold it together all day and then fall apart at home, why "How was your day?" can accidentally feel like one mor...

Is It Dyslexia? When Reading and Spelling Don't Stick Episode Summary Wondering if your bright child's reading struggles, spelling problems, or homework meltdowns could be signs of dyslexia? In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude explains why reading and spelling may not "stick" for some kids, even when they're smart, verbal, and trying hard. You'll learn how dyslexia and learning load can look like a...

Traveling With Kids Who Melt Down: A Regulation Plan If travel with your big-feeling kid feels less like a vacation and more like scanning the horizon for the next meltdown, this episode is for you. After a two-week multigenerational trip that included a 16-hour nonstop flight, Dr. Amy shares what actually helped her family get through long travel days, sibling spice, sensory overload, screen deci...

Pride Month, Panic, and the Open Door How to Stay Connected When Kids Ask Big Questions June is Pride Month, and this episode is for every parent who wants to support LGBTQ+ kids, raise kind allies, and know what to say when children ask big questions about identity, Pride, pronouns, belonging, or friends. Maybe your child is LGBTQ+. Maybe your child is questioning. Maybe your child has a friend w...

Preventing Summer Slide Without Worksheets: 3 Routines That Actually Stick If summer has already turned into "too much TV" and "I've asked you 47 times to start," this episode is for you. We're protecting reading, regulation, and executive function without worksheets or turning your house into summer school. You'll learn a simple daily loop, Buckle, Body, Book, then screens , so the plan isn't liv...

Episode Summary When kids say "I'm bored" all summer, it can turn into sibling poking, tattling, and demand-play meltdowns fast. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude shares a sibling-specific plan to interrupt the boredom-to-conflict loop without becoming the cruise director or the full-time referee. If you're navigating camp weeks, home weeks, or those chaotic in-between hours, this is your calm, d...

Bribery vs Reinforcement: Motivation, Allowance, and Chores That Build Skills Episode summary Are you constantly reminding, negotiating, and "sweetening the deal" just to get basic chores done? In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude breaks down the difference between bribery (reactive, in-the-moment bargaining) and reinforcement (planned, skill-building follow-through), with real-life examples for lat...

How to Ask for Help Without Feeling Awkward Episode summary Asking for help can feel weirdly hard, especially for the helpers and the high-capacity parents. In this ALS Awareness Month mini, Dr. Amy Patenaude shares a simple "Help Menu" so you're not freelancing your needs, plus copy/paste scripts for real life (meals, rides, childcare, school support, and fundraising) that feel clear, bounded, an...

🛝 Recess Drama Decoded: Bossy vs Bullying vs Boundaries Episode summary Is it bullying, or is it a bossy friend and messy recess dynamics? In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude breaks down the difference between bossiness, boundary-breaking, and bullying for elementary-aged kids, especially during unstructured time like recess, lunch, and the sidelines. You'll learn a simple decision tree plus the R...

Episode summary End-of-year teacher meetings can leave parents with feelings and vague feedback, but no real plan. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude shares a simple way to turn "transitions are hard" and "let's see how next year goes" into Owner + Data + Date so you leave with clear next steps, a fall review point, and a one-page handoff for next year's teacher. In this episode you'll learn How t...

Episode summary If you're in a season where you love your kid deeply but your patience is somehow a single Tic Tac, this episode is for you. In this ALS Awareness Month mini, Dr. Amy Patenaude names the Helper Trap, explains why capacity shrinks in heavy seasons (it's not a character flaw), and gives you a simple plan to lower demands without losing connection. You'll leave with the Two Dials tool...

Episode summary Maycember is here: theme days you find out about at 8:47 p.m., end-of-year events, and, for middle and high school families, finals and exam stress layered on top of everything else. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude shares a simple Finish Line Mode plan to lower demands without losing structure, so your kid can finish the year feeling capable, not crispy. You'll leave with tiny w...

Episode summary Bedtime is when kids' brains time-travel—especially after your family has lived through serious illness or loss. In this ALS Awareness Month mini episode (1 of 3), Dr. Amy shares her personal "why" and gives you kid-sized truth (not the whole ocean), plus exact scripts for the "Are you going to die?" questions that tend to show up when the lights go out. In this episode you'll lear...

Red Zone Parenting: Why Kids Won't Listen in Meltdowns Episode summary Ever tried to reason with your kid mid-meltdown… and it made everything worse? In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude breaks down what the Red Zone actually is—when your child's brain is flooded and they genuinely can't listen , even if your logic is perfect. You'll learn what to do instead of talking , why after-school meltdowns h...

Mom 2.0: Self-Care Isn't a Reward for Moms Episode summary I went to Mom 2.0 in Austin by myself and knew literally no one, which sounds brave and also felt like a full-body nervous system moment. I'm sharing the story of walking into the kickoff happy hour late, having my stomach drop, and then finding connection through one brave "hi" at the water cooler. This episode is also about the shift I'm...

ADHD, Anxiety, or Sleep Debt? Morning Routine Chaos Explained Episode summary It's 7:04am, the bus comes at 7:22, and your child is still negotiating like a tiny lawyer. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude breaks down why morning chaos can look like defiance (or ADHD)… when the real driver might be sleep debt, anxiety, or executive functioning needs. You'll walk away with a quick "7:22 Driver Check...

Intrusive Thoughts in Kids: What to Say and Do Episode summary Bedtime. Lights off. One more hug. And then your kid drops it: "What if you died?" or "What if my brain makes me think dangerous stuff?" If you've ever frozen—trying to take it seriously without making it bigger—this episode is for you. Dr. Amy Patenaude breaks down intrusive thoughts in kid language, the "brain pop-up" metaphor that i...

How to Request an Evaluation (and What to Say So It Actually Moves) If you've been sitting in that exhausting "something isn't adding up" season, this episode is for you. Maybe your child is trying, the school is trying, you're doing tutoring or supports or all the things, and somehow you still don't have a cohesive plan. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude walks through how to tell when it's time...

Working Memory vs. Attention: Why "Not Listening" Looks the Same When your child forgets directions, drifts off halfway through a task, or looks like they're "not listening," it can be hard to tell what's really going on. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude breaks down the difference between working memory and attention in plain language, explains why they look so similar in real life, and shows wh...

Episode summary: Sticker Chart Not Working? 3 Fixes That Actually Work Sticker charts, reward charts, chore checklists… they usually work for three days and then die. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude breaks down the real reasons charts fall apart (reward too far away, plan too complicated) and how to "debug" your system so your child can succeed—especially K–5 kids who are big-feeling, ADHD-ish,...

My Child Knows Math Facts—Until It's Timed: What's Really Going On? Your kid actually likes math. Math is not the enemy in your house. And then fluency shows up: the speeded quiz, the timed sheet, the computer program that's basically like "Ready? Go." Suddenly the kid who likes math freezes, rushes, melts down, or refuses—not because they don't know the facts, but because time pressure changes ho...

10 School Supports to Request Before an IEP It's a weekday morning and you're doing the parenting triathlon: socks, shoes, water bottle, lunch, "where is your other shoe," and your kid suddenly remembers they need a poster board due today. Then your phone buzzes: a school email with a subject line like "Reading block concerns" or "Just checking in." You open it and your stomach drops: they're fall...

School Meetings Without Tears: The STICKY Note Method (6 Minutes in the Parking Lot) If you've ever sat in the school parking lot with your seatbelt still on, staring at the building, feeling your chest tighten while your brain loops "Did I fail my kid?"—this episode is for you. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude gives you a six-minute prep you can do right there in the car so you walk into a scho...

When You Want to Spank or Yell at Your Kid: Nervous System Tools That Work It's 4:12. The front door sticks, backpacks thud, someone is hungry in the way that feels personal, and your kid hits you with: "I'm not doing it." Not "I can't." Not "I need help." Just… no. And you can feel it in your body: heat in your chest, jaw clenched, hands tight, that thought that screams, "I have to shut this down...

IEP vs 504: What They Actually Mean (and What to Ask For at School) A parent asked me this week, right as we were wrapping up: "Amy… do you think my kid needs a 504 plan or an IEP? I don't know which one to ask for and I don't want to make the wrong choice." And it makes total sense that this feels like a high-stakes, one-minute question. But the real answer is: it depends, because every child's n...