![]() Instead, some parents find it helpful to put strategies in place to minimize the stress and anxiety of daily life that may contribute to a meltdown. Wed all like to avoid meltdowns completely, but thats not possible. The following are some tips and strategies that have helped other parents, but you will have to consider these in terms of your individual childs needs. Youve heard the saying: When youve met a child with autism, youve met one child with autism.īecause every autistic child presents differently, with varied skills, levels of relatedness, communication, and sensory processing profiles, it is impossible to have a one-solution-fits-all approach to managing meltdowns. Remember that the person who is struggling and needs your support the most is your child. Next time you find yourself in this public display of chaos, ignore the judgmental looks, and quiet down that fearful inner voice saying youre not enough. Or worse, we feel like our deepest fears are validated: People think were failing at this whole parenting thing. We feel the judgment from some saying, Id never let my kid act like that. These outbursts can feel embarrassing to parents when were in public and everyone is staring at us. Meltdowns for any child can get noisy, but they tend to go to a whole other level of loud when its a child with autism. They will learn it doesnt work and realize they get more attention when their behavior is good.Īlso Check: Can A Child With Autism Have Dyslexia Focus On Your Child Not Staring Bystanders But when they do that, they are attention seeking and giving them any kind of attention reinforces that behavior. Here I praise him, Great job being quiet and playing with your cars.I know, it feels a little weird at first, ignoring your child while they are screaming or throwing themselves on the ground. Here I ignore his screaming because he was mad that I gave one of his cars to his brother when he didnt want to share. Use your best judgement- youll figure out when you need to lay down the DONT law. There are times when theres NO WAY around a dont/stop statement. Its counter-intuitive to the ways most of us usually parent but it works. Stop screaming becomes, Quiet please, Dont color on the table becomes Only color on the paper. ![]() This lets the child know exactly what you WANT them to do. For example, Walk on the sidewalk can be much more effective than Dont walk on the grass for a child who might not hear the dontor for one who isnt sure where the acceptable place to walk might be. How many of you have screamed at your child, STOP SCREAMING?!!!! with crazed eyes and clinched fists? Focus On What You Want The Child To Do Not What You Want Them To Stop Doing Some strategies would be removing the cause of aggression, providing calming toys and/or activities, and giving your child a safe space where he/she can calm down. The key goal of handling aggression is to ensure the safety of the child and others around him/her. Some children become violent when an object of comfort is taken away from them, or when they are forced into something they do not want to do. Outside of sensory overload that leads to a meltdown, there are other reasons why a child with autism uses aggression. Both a meltdown and a tantrum can involve aggression. Aggressive behavior can be directed to others or oneself. Children who are in a meltdown cant be reasoned with so dont rely on logicĭifference Between Meltdowns Tantrums And AggressionĪggression in kids with ASD refers to violent behavior that may include kicking, hitting, throwing objects, punching, and biting.Keep your face and voice neutral and be at arms length in case the child reaches out.Keep yourself calm as your child can feel your frustration and worsen the meltdown.Prevent injuries to your child or others during a meltdown by being in a safe place.Choose a good time when your child is receptive to learning and teach breathing exercises, meditation, and counting from one to ten.Use calming devices like a fidget toy, noise-canceling headphones, or a weighted vest.Leave the room or location to help your child calm down.However, when a meltdown is already happening, you can try the following approach: This can be avoiding crowds, establishing a set routine, and planning ahead. The best way to prevent your child from having a meltdown is to predict and avoid triggers. However, there are some general techniques that can be customized to your childs behavior and personality. Not all meltdown strategies are guaranteed to work on every child on the spectrum. As no two kids with ASD are the same, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy on how to handle meltdowns.
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