Autism Soccer: Understanding Meltdowns in Autism

This type of sensorial crisis is the consequence of high levels of anxiety; you shouldn’t scold the child or yell at him/her.

Often, there are moments where autistic children feel overwhelmed by their surroundings, causing meltdowns to occur. Parents have a hard time differentiating if the child is making a tantrum or a meltdown is happening. To differentiate them, we bring you a complete guide to understand and assist your children when meltdowns take over.

Before getting into meltdowns, you should be acutely aware of the condition to know its traits and characteristics. Here’s a list of websites you can check to learn more about this disorder.

Meltdowns

A meltdown is a complete loss of control in response to overwhelming situations. This situation occurs when children are unable to process the current situation and temporarily lose control. Meltdowns signs are express by shouting, crying and may be seen as a rebellious behavior.

To understand what triggers meltdowns in your children, you need to know what they dislike, like places where they feel less comfortable and sounds that, might cause your kids to overwhelm. For example, an autistic child who doesn’t like crowded places is likely to be affected when going to the mall or public spaces.

Meltdowns and tantrums are NOT the same

Temperamental children are likely to show tantrums, but they should never be compared to meltdowns of autistic children. Meltdowns are not bad behavior-related and should never be labeled or associated with tantrums. If you pay attention to the moments before a meltdown, you’ll notice just how difficult it is to face an overwhelming situation.

Not every situation triggers a meltdown; there are levels of how much children can handle before even getting to that point. When your kids show signs of withdrawal or just avoids getting involved, they might be facing a difficult time or feel uncomfortable.

How to assist children in a meltdown

It’s important to be aware that meltdowns are shown with subtle details you might not notice at first, but if you’re paying attention, there are ways to help them. We’ll subdivide these into three subcategories: before, during and after a meltdown takes place.

Before

Know what your children like and dislike. Ask before going to a particular place and see if they’re willing to, this might avoid potential complications for them.
Check on them. The more you pay attention to these signs, you’ll be more likely to keep their condition in control. If you see any switch in them, take a look around and find answers.
Avoid places with excessive sounds, people, and colors. These factors are potential triggers of meltdowns.

During

Leave the place you’re at that moment. The causes of the meltdown might be because of certain factors in the environment that affected them.
Don’t lose it. Stay calm and never mistreat the child, it will cause things to get worse. Calmly ask if they’re okay and be patient.
Give them space. Let the kids relax, turn down bright lights and lower the volume if there’s loud music playing.

After

Write down the causes. Having these details written down will help you avoid future meltdowns. Doing so will prevent your children to feel uncomfortable next time.
Talk it out. Sit down and have a conversation about what just happened and kindly ask what the reasons of their sensory overload were.
Communicate with your family about the causes. Give your family all the information needed so they can avoid putting the children under distress.

Meltdowns can be hard to understand if not identified correctly. Luckily, you can avoid situations like this from ever happening again, and if they do, you’ll be able to act fast and assist them.

Parents often feel discouraged to let their children do things on their own because of meltdowns. Fear not! With Autism Soccer, you’ll have a safe place and professionals in the matter. Let them enjoy their childhood and learn the basics of soccer; your children will appreciate it.