02/11/2026
This is something that comes up so often in both therapy sessions and assessments. Children who appear to hold it together during the school day, go under the radar and don’t cause a management problem in the classroom….only to be overwhelmed by huge feelings on returning home. When you add in tiredness, hunger and the pressure of homework to an overwhelmed system it’s easy to see why the smallest thing can be the spark that ignites the flame 🔥
THE AFTER-SCHOOL VOLCANO
A child may spend the entire school day coping, adapting, masking their difficulties and managing demands that others may not even notice.
But all that effort comes at a cost.
By the time they arrive home, their capacity to cope may be exhausted, and even the smallest demand can feel overwhelming.
What looks like an overreaction may actually be the release of hours of accumulated pressure.
The eruption is what we see. The build-up is what we need to understand.
And understanding that build-up is where meaningful support begins.
