NESST Solutions

✨ ABC of Behavior — It’s not “bad behavior,” it’s learned behavior.

Every meltdown has a pattern:

🔎 A – Antecedent: What happened BEFORE?
😢 B – Behavior: What did the child DO?
🎯 C – Consequence: What happened AFTER?

When we only focus on the behavior, we miss the real lesson.
Kids repeat what works.

If crying brings the TV back on…
Crying = 🎬 TV returns.

💡 The real power move?
Change the antecedent or the consequence — not just the behavior.

✔️ Give transition warnings
✔️ Teach replacement skills
✔️ Stay calm & consistent

Behavior is communication.
Let’s decode it, not punish it. 💛

I really like this hack for shoes to know left from right. Someone's genius.

When Dad reads stories - vocab improves. When Mum reads stories - stress reduces.

Bedtime reading changes the brain in ways most parents never hear about. When fathers read, language pathways activate differently and vocabulary growth speeds up. When mothers read, the child’s stress system settles and emotional tension decreases. Each parent offers a separate advantage that works together over time.

Researchers note that story routines support attention, memory formation and emotional regulation. The predictability of a book at night gives the brain a clear pattern to follow, making transitions easier. Families often notice calmer evenings and better cooperation when reading becomes consistent. These effects do not require long sessions. Short, reliable moments have far more impact than occasional long ones. A few minutes of shared attention shape neural pathways that support learning and self control.

Five minutes with a book reshapes development in a measurable way.

This workshop is for mums, focused on understanding what’s happening in the body before, during and after meltdowns — and how to support both yourself and your child before things escalate.

While this covers autistic children, it can apply to others who meltdown too.

Session - Before the Meltdown – A Workshop for Mums
Hobsonville Point | In person | Small group

Before the shouting.
Before the tears.
Before the meltdown or
Before the shutdown.
Before you tear your hair out.

There is always a moment.
And if we can understand that moment — we can change what happens next.

This workshop is about what's happening in the body and brain before your child loses control.
Because meltdowns aren't "bad behaviour."
They're nervous system overload.

Through working with autistic children, I began to notice something powerful:

Every meltdown has a different trigger…
But the way it unfolds?

The pathway is almost always the same for your child.
And when that pathway repeats, it strengthens.

The brain learns it.

That's why early intervention matters.
In this workshop, you'll learn:
• What's happening biologically
• Why I choose the strategies I do
• When you can offer change
• How to interrupt the pattern
• And how to build a new, calmer pathway instead

This isn't about control.

If you're walking on eggshells…
If you're exhausted from the cycle…
If you feel like you're missing something important —
Come and join me.

Let's do what we can before the meltdown.

We begin with mum, because as they say on planes: put your own mask on first, before helping others.

Details:
Tiger Moth Room - Sunderland Lounge,
214 Buckley Road, Hobsonville Point.
Tuesday 17 March
9:30–11:30am
We explore:
• what’s happening in the body during a meltdown
• what “regulation” actually means in real life
• staying calm under duress
• how your nervous system affects your child’s
• tools to intervene earlier and reduce escalation
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For anyone visiting this page, I do have another older one as well, specific to Re-Learn Autism. You are welcome to check me out, like, follow or otherwise, either or both sites.

New to me is Instagram.

https://www.facebook.com/ReLearnAutism.8.stages.of.a.meltdown

Re-Learn Autism "The 8 Stages of a Meltdown" is has been rewritten as the "Abridged" version. It is also available as an elearning course with a sister course about the biology of a meltdown, I have called "Biodynamics of a Meltdown" Check out the Education/Events page.

New workshops running in-person locally in Hobsonville, Auckland. If the workshops are of interest to you and you are not local or want to have run in your location or online, when you click the link in the comment, select - Register your interest and follow the prompt.

We're holding a workshop or two very soon. If this if of interest, click on the links in the comments, or scan the QR code.

PLEASE NOTE: The MONTH has changed from February to March
💛 Before the Meltdown – A Workshop for Mums
📍 HQ Tiger Moth Room, 214 Buckley Road, Hobsonville Point | In person | Small group
If meltdowns feel overwhelming — for your child and for you — you’re not alone.
Before the Meltdown is a two-session, in-person workshop for mums, designed to help you understand what’s really happening in the body during a meltdown, and how to support both yourself and your child before things escalate.

We begin with mum, because your calm helps your child feel calmer. As they say on planes: put your own mask on first, before helping others.
🧠 Session One (2 hours): Mum first
📅 Tuesday 17 March
🕤 9:30–11:30am
We explore:
• what’s happening in the body during a meltdown
• what “regulation” actually means in real life
• staying calm under duress
• how your nervous system affects your child’s
• tools to intervene earlier and reduce escalation

🧩 Session Two (2 hours): Supporting your child
📅 Tuesday 24 March
🕤 9:30–11:30am
We focus on:
• Build your emergency kit
• helps you to respond, rather than react
• remove decision making under stress
• reduces escalation for both of you.
This is a small, supportive group — no judgement, no pressure to share, and no “quick fixes”. Just understanding, practical tools, and space to breathe.
📍 Location: HQ Tiger Moth Room, 214 Buckley Road, Hobsonville Point Hobsonville Point, Auckland
👉 Reserve Your Spot
(limited places to keep the group small)
If this feels like something you need — or you know a mum who might — please feel free to share 💛

For your awareness, I am also an affiliate for Sound for Life tools which includes the Soundsory, which is a headset for Noise cancelling as well as preprogrammed music to assist with APD and more.

To understand children’s fidgeting and constant clothing adjustments, you need…

the key sensory signs that explain why kids can’t stop tugging, chewing, or stripping off clothes.
Fidgeting with clothing is often misunderstood as distraction, or “bad habits.” But, for many children, it’s actually their brain trying to cope with uncomfortable sensory input.

When a child’s sensory system isn’t processing:

👌🏻Touch
👌🏻Pressure
👌🏻Texture

…clothing itself can become overwhelming. This discomfort can interfere with focus, emotional regulation, and learning.
To get a list of sensory-friendly clothing that can reduce fidgeting and support regulation, comment below 👇 and we’ll send you the link, or grab it from our profile.

There is truth in this - we have to learn to control our emotions or they will control us.

When you lead with your heart and awareness, emotions become allies instead of obstacles...