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 how their brain feels. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude takes you inside her brain during a psychoeducational evaluation (math fluency edition) and gives you the 813 Framework: 8 things she watches, a 1-week experiment to separate skill from pressure, and 3 parent scripts you can use with school so you can walk in with clarity instead of panic.

• Why timed math facts can turn "I can do this" into "I'm the worst" even when your child understands math
• The evaluation lens: what changes when the demand changes (timed vs untimed is not the same task)
• The "timer flip" and what it tells you about threat response, rushing, freezing, and avoidance
• How to interpret accuracy when pressure is removed (skill storage vs performance under pressure)
• What strategies (fingers, skip counting, deriving) tell you and why strategies are data, not "bad"
• How to read error patterns: random (pressure, attention, fatigue, rushing) vs predictable (specific gaps)
• Why format matters: timed plus typing can create an output-speed pileup that looks like a math problem
• The self-talk clue: when math starts to equal panic, and why that identity story matters
• School Translator Minute: what "careless mistakes" often really means and how to steer back to supports
• The 3 parent scripts to request a short trial and alternate response formats without sounding combative

• Run the 813 Two-Column Trial for 7 days: same facts, timed versus untimed.
• Track just a few clues: time to start, accuracy, prompts needed, and emotional cost (calm, frustrated, meltdown).
• Replace "try harder" with: "Is it the facts… or the timer?"
• If it's computer-based, try one non-typing option (oral answers while you type, or paper) and note what changes.
• Use one script with school to request a short, time-bound comparison and a review date.

Pick one. One is enough.

• Boredom Buster Guide
• Big Feeling Decoder
• 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents
• School Psych in Your Back Pocket: The School Testing Toolkit (K–12)

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area.

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 falling behind, visiting the nurse during reading block, and you're seeing more avoidance or behavior. In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude hands you a simple "Costco map" of school supports to try on purpose before special education: one barrier, one support, one review date. You'll get the Top 10 supports parents often forget to request, plus clean, collaborative language you can copy and paste without writing a 12-paragraph novel.

• Why school stuff feels impossible to keep up with (mental load is real, and you're not failing)
• The brain-based reframe for avoidance: avoidance is protection, not laziness
• The three anchor questions that make supports measurable: what are we doing, how often, and how will we measure it
• The Timer Rule: try a support for a set window, then review data (no support limbo)
• The Top 10 supports to try before an IEP conversation (from MTSS plans to nurse plans to trial accommodations)
• Exactly what to say: simple scripts for MTSS, trial accommodations, Tier 2 supports, and evaluation requests

• Pick one barrier and write one sentence: "The barrier is ___ (reading stamina, decoding, avoidance, anxiety, fatigue)."
• Send one email using the 3 anchor questions: What are we doing? How often? How will we measure it?
• Choose two trial accommodations to "taste test" for 2–3 weeks (yes, two. Not ten).
• Ask for the review date in the same email and put it on your calendar.
• Start a tiny dot log: two sentences per week about what you're seeing at home.

Pick one. One is enough.

• Boredom Buster Guide
• Big Feeling Decoder
• 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents
• School Psych in Your Back Pocket: The School Testing Toolkit (K–12)

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area.

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 school meeting clearer, calmer, and able to ask for what your child needs… without bringing your dissertation and without leaving thinking, "Wait—why didn't I say the thing??" It's called the STICKY Note Method: six steps, one sticky note, a plan you can measure (not "let's wait and see" vibes).

• Why school meetings can make you teary, shaky, angry, blank, or weirdly chatty (and why that makes total sense)
• The brain science in plain language: when it's high-stakes, your thinking brain goes quieter—so your words disappear
• Three "School Psych in Your Back Pocket" truths that change the meeting fast: data is information (not a verdict), patterns matter, and a plan without measurement is just hope
• A simple five-part plan to leave with every time: what support, who owns it, when it starts, what data you'll track, and when you'll meet again
• The School Translator Minute: what "Let's wait and see" and "We'll monitor" actually mean—and exactly what to say next
• How to share "home data" (after-school crash, homework spirals, bedtime/Sunday scaries) without overexplaining
• Parent scripts for when your brain goes blank, the meeting gets vague, or you feel yourself starting to ramble
• A strengths-first opener that shifts the energy in 20 seconds (whole child, not just the problem)
• The STICKY Note Method: a six-minute parking lot prep that keeps you grounded and gets you to a concrete next step
• The 5-line follow-up email that locks in clarity after the meeting (without writing a novel)

• Put a sticky note pad in your car today. Future-you deserves it.
• Before you walk in, write your Target sentence: "Today ends with a support plan + a date we'll review it."
• Use one translator line in the meeting: "I can do time, as long as we're clear about what we're trying and how we'll measure it."
• Close the meeting by summarizing out loud: what, who, when, data, and check-in date.
• Send the 5-line follow-up email within 24 hours so everyone leaves with the same plan.

Pick one. One is enough.

• Boredom Buster Guide
• Big Feeling Decoder
• 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents
• School Psych in Your Back Pocket: The School Testing Toolkit (K–12)

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area.