Everything You Need to Know About Meltdowns in Children with Autism

Dr. J.J. Tomash
5 days ago
5 min read

Supporting your child when they are growing can become overwhelming at one point. It is particularly true if you are parenting a child with autism and they present with constant meltdowns now and then.

Situations like these can make you feel guilty or isolated. However, you must understand that it is not your fault.

A meltdown occurs when your child faces an overwhelming or stressful situation, and it is their response to that. Your role here is to understand your child, their meltdown or behavioral challenge and triggers, and find ways to manage them effectively. You also need clarity on intervention or additional support, like Applied Behavior Analysis programs.

In this post, we walk through all these aspects in detail. Here we go!

Understanding Meltdowns: What Exactly Is Happening?

An individual with Autism will often have a meltdown when responding to an overwhelming experience. It might appear to be tantrums, but in reality, it can be an involuntary response resulting from a loss of control by the individual. You may compare it to something like a fight response in children with Autism.

It may appear like screaming and crying, presenting emotional, verbal outbursts. You may also experience your child presenting physical reactions like kicking, hitting, or biting. You may see your child losing control of their behavior, resulting from an inability to express their emotions.

Either way, you must learn ways to spot a meltdown over a tantrum and the possible causes behind it.

In the further part, let us talk about situations that may result in a meltdown:

Social situations
Basic needs like hunger, thirst
Sensory overload, like loud noise, etc
Unpredictable things

You may notice the child presenting some signs of distress before a meltdown, such as repetitive questioning or pacing.

The Immediate Response to Managing Meltdown

During a tantrum, your child does not have control of their behavior. Your response can let you focus on their safety and create a secure space for them. A calm and empathic reaction can even help them feel understood and safe. Your response can also help in developing coping strategies for their future. Considering these benefits, let us understand the ideal response to manage a meltdown:

Handling Meltdowns

If you have ever considered reaching out to professionals for autism therapy services, you might come across a statement- Every kid is different, even when on the spectrum. This means that no meltdown strategy will work the same for everyone. However, this post can help you with some general techniques you can consider:

Stay calm and do not react impulsively to prevent the situation from escalating; this can help avoid causing auditory overload.
Remove sensory input, including loud noises, bright lights, and other environments that cause chaos.
Do not keep any unnecessary distractions to let them regulate themselves.
Leave the location or room they are in, as this may help them calm down.
Do not touch them to prevent exacerbation of their overwhelming emotion.
Ensure your child is in a safe space to avoid any injuries to your little one.
Do not try to find the logic, as their meltdown does not always have any reason.
Keep a neutral face and voice.
You can give them soft toys, noise-cancelling headphones, a fidget toy, and similar calming devices.

Along with the above-shared tips, it is essential that you:

Understand your child's triggers: Learn about the cognitive or sensory stimuli that overwhelm your child. Lights, loud places, it could be anything, and you can figure it out by observing them.
Avoid Triggers: Figuring out the triggers is the first step. Next comes lowering and avoiding them at most. You can listen to their needs or adapt to their environment.

How to Find What Triggers Your Child's Meltdowns?

Keep track of your child's behavior and the environment they are surrounded by. You may also keep an eye on areas like the intensity of the meltdown, sensory sensitivities, and/or changes in routine.
Look for patterns and recurring themes, which may be a possible trigger.
If you cannot identify the triggers or do not know the right strategies to implement, feel free to reach the professionals.

What to Do After a Meltdown?

After a meltdown, focus on helping your child process and recover from what has just happened. That is how you can rebuild their trust and help them learn from the situation while comforting them. You can provide them with a sensory-safe space with fewer people around and lower lights to calm them emotionally and physically.

As their parent, you must know exactly how they want to be. This means some children may want to be alone and have space. However, others might need comforting words or maybe a hug. It is important to provide your child with comfort and compassion.

What You Need to Unlearn About Your Child's Meltdown?

It's normal to seek out solutions by discussing your situation with people. However, it is also important to separate myths from reality, and that is exactly what we are going to do over here:

Myth 1: Punishments Can Work

By now, it is clear that your child's meltdowns are not tantrums but a response to some situations. This also means that they do not have to be treated the same. Punishments like grounding and scolding will not work here.

Myth 2: The Child is Trying to Manipulate

Though tantrums can be commonly seen in young children, that is not something you can mistake as meltdowns and thus need to be responded to differently. Considering meltdowns as tantrums can make them occur more and maybe with higher intensity.

Can ABA Help in Managing Your Child’s Meltdowns?

Applied Behavior Analysis programs help achieve the developmental milestones for your child. They also help understand and enhance your child's behavior and contribute to their skill development. For your child's meltdown, Applied Behavior Analysis can:

Help identify the triggers causing meltdowns. This can cover communication challenges, routine changes, sensory sensitivities, etc.
Provide the child with strategies for challenging situations resulting in meltdowns.
Encourage using coping skills to manage meltdowns soon.

Conclusion

By now, we can be clear about one thing, which is the fact that autism meltdowns are not tantrums that a child with autism shows. These are, in fact, much more than that.

Meltdowns are intense responses your child gives when they find their surroundings or the world overwhelming. Whenever you find your child in a situation with a meltdown, stay calm and respond correctly. Give them their space and let them recover from the situation that had just occurred. Provide a sensory-safe space to let them calm down physically and emotionally.

Tracking what triggers your child to have a meltdown is also essential to avoid such situations in the future. Additionally, you must seek professionals to provide the right support your child needs. Applied Behavior Analysis programs are solutions where the therapists work in detail with the child, understand their triggers and strengths, and help them develop coping strategies for such situations.

Applied Behavior Analysis offers much more than this. At BehaviorSpan, we offer ABA therapy in Denver, aiming to provide intensive, center-based learning focused on working on various areas where your child needs help. From their communication skills to coping mechanisms for meltdowns, we work individually with every child to help them thrive in different areas of life.

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