Staying One Step Ahead: Part 5 of 5

"I don't want to overreact."

"I know the school year just started."

"I don't want to be that parent."

And underneath all of that: Something doesn't feel right.

In the final chapter of the Staying One Step Ahead series, Dr. Amy Patenaude helps parents answer one of the hardest school-year questions:

When do I wait, when do I contact the school, and when do I push for more support?

You don't need certainty to take the next right step.

• Why "wait and see" should still include a plan
• How to tell a difficult moment from a concerning pattern
• Why change from your child's baseline matters
• How functioning, frequency, duration, and trajectory guide decisions
• When to collaborate with the teacher or pediatrician
• When safety concerns mean you should act immediately

S — Safety: Is anyone unsafe?

C — Change from Baseline: Is this meaningfully different for your child?

O — Occurrence & Duration: How often is it happening, and how long does it last?

P — Participation & Impact: Is it affecting attendance, sleep, eating, learning, friendships, activities, or family life?

E — Evolution: Is the pattern improving, staying stuck, or getting worse?

Watch + Support: The concern is mild, recent, functioning is mostly intact, and things are improving.

Contact + Collaborate: The concern is repeating, distressing, affecting functioning, or not improving with basic support.

Escalate Now: Safety is involved, functioning has significantly declined, attendance is breaking down, or symptoms require immediate professional attention.

Write the concern in one observable sentence.

Instead of: "School is destroying my child."

Try: "They have had stomach pain and refused to get dressed four school mornings this week."

If you are waiting, choose a review date and decide what improvement would look like.

Waiting is a strategy only when you know what you are watching for.

🎒 After-School Reset Guide
🌋 Volcano Feelings Freebie
🌱 Tiny Wins Playbook
🧠 ADHD, Anxiety, or Something Else?

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Your gut is a smoke detector, not a courtroom verdict.

Let it tell you to look. Then choose the next responsible step.

You are allowed to notice. You are allowed to ask. You are allowed to wait with a plan. And you are allowed to act before you have a perfect explanation.

This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice.