Sensory
Sounds, lighting, textures, movement, crowded spaces, and other sensory input can increase demands on regulation and participation.
HWWCD Learning Center
The STACK Modelā¢
Understanding the demands children carry, recognizing accumulating load, and matching expectations and support to available capacity.
Find your starting point ā
The six sources of load
Sensory
Cognitive
Emotional
Social
Physical
Environmental
Illustrative only. These bars do not represent scores or measured capacity.
Where would you like to begin?
You can learn the framework, begin with a situation happening today, or explore the full collection of STACK materials.
Understanding the STACK
Behavior is what we can see. The STACK helps us consider demands that may not be immediately visible.
A child might handle a task easily on one day and struggle with that same task on another. That difference does not automatically mean the child lacks motivation or is choosing not to cooperate.
Sensory, cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and environmental demands can combine throughout the day. As load builds, the capacity available for learning, flexibility, communication, and participation may change.
Match demand to capacity.
Build capacity over time.
The six STACK loads
Each load contributes to the overall demands a child may be managing. More than one load can be active at the same time.
Cognitive
Attention, working memory, planning, decisions, instructions, and mental effort can require substantial capacity, even when a task looks simple.
Emotional
Worry, frustration, disappointment, uncertainty, and managing strong feelings can add to the demands a child carries.
Social
Conversations, group expectations, interpreting other people, managing disagreements, and navigating relationships can require considerable effort.
Physical
Fatigue, hunger, discomfort, illness, pain, sleep, and physical exertion can influence how much capacity is available for other demands.
Environmental
Time pressure, unpredictability, transitions, setting demands, routines, and the amount of control available in an environment all matter.
What's happening today?
Choose a situation. These starting points help you think about demands and supports before deciding what to do next.
My child falls apart after school
A child may spend the school day managing noise, social expectations, transitions, attention, and emotional demands. The visible difficulty can emerge once that effort is no longer sustainable.
Consider recovery time, reduced questioning, food, sensory conditions, and how much is being expected immediately after school.
My child can do it sometimes, but not others
Capacity varies with demands and conditions. A skill being available sometimes does not mean it will be accessible under every combination of stress, fatigue, and load.
Compare the conditions surrounding easier and harder moments rather than assuming the difference is simply willingness.
Homework turns into an argument
Homework can require more than academic knowledge. Starting, planning, organizing, tolerating mistakes, switching activities, and sustaining attention all add demands.
Look at timing, task length, instructions, breaks, available support, and whether the child has sufficient capacity at that point in the day.
Small changes trigger big reactions
A seemingly small change may arrive when a child is already managing substantial sensory, cognitive, or emotional load.
Preview transitions, reduce unnecessary demands, provide more time, and consider whether the current environment needs adjustment.
I don't know whether to help or expect more independence
Support and independence are not opposites. Assistance can make a skill accessible while the child develops greater capacity and competence.
Identify what part of the activity the child can manage, what support is still needed, and when a gradual increase in responsibility is appropriate. Avoid withdrawing support simply because the child succeeded once.
Here's what we can do
Once we've considered what may be on the STACK, we can make more informed decisions about expectations and support.
Notice the load
Identify the demands the child is managing. Look beyond the visible task and consider what has accumulated throughout the day.
Adjust the conditions
Consider changing timing, complexity, sensory input, expectations, or support. Focus on what helps make participation more accessible.
Build capacity over time
Teach skills, provide appropriate scaffolding, and gradually increase demands when the child is ready, while preserving necessary supports.
The STACK Modelā¢ is an educational framework. It does not replace individualized assessment, appropriate treatment, or school-based support. Difficulties can have multiple causes, and reducing demands is not automatically the appropriate response in every situation.
Explore the Complete STACK System
Continue into The STACK Modelā¢ collection inside your HWWCD Resource Library. Explore the existing teaching and materials at your own pace, or return to a specific topic whenever you need it.
Open The STACK Modelā¢ Resources ā