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| Give the person some time, calmly ask them what they need, and try to create a comfortable space. |
A meltdown commonly happens when the person loses control of their behavior and becomes completely overwhelmed by their surrounding. This loss of control can be expressed physically by kicking or biting, or verbally by screaming or crying, and sometimes both.
Autism meltdowns and temper tantrums shouldn’t be considered the same thing
A meltdown is not a bad or naughty behavior, and should not be considered as a temper tantrum. When the person has lost control of their behavior and becomes completely overwhelmed, the result is an understandable meltdown. Behaviors such as refusing to interact or avoiding situations that might be challenging are common in both autistic meltdowns and temper tantrums. These behaviors may be considered normal for autistic people when having a meltdown because of the information or sensory overload that they receive, which cause control loss.
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| Autistic people can experience sensory overload sometimes in their life, but many alternatives can also be sensory relievers, for example, music. |
What can trigger those explosions in your autistic child?
Every person with autism is different, but sensory differences, anxiety, changes in routine, and communication difficulties are the most common triggers for meltdowns.
There are three main tips on what to do when a person is having a meltdown:
- The first thing to do is give them some time. Recovering from such experience can take a while, remember that having information or sensory overload can be hard.
- It’s important to stay calm and transmit that calmness when speaking. Ask the person (or their parent or friend) if they’re OK, but remember that they might need some time to recover so the response might take some time.
- Try to create a quiet space to make the person feel calm in a safe environment. Make people raise awareness of the situation so they can help by turning loud music off, lowering their voices, not staring or turning bright lights down, anything that you think can help to reduce the sensory or information overload.
These useful links can provide extra tips that help minimize the meltdowns too.
- Songs that have helped Autistic People during Meltdowns
- Exercises to Reduce Anxiety You Can Try with Your Kids
Remember that everyone is different, so everyone should be treated differently. Try these tips but if you think that something else might help, try too. Stay calm and transmit calmness to others. Focus on what can be triggering the meltdown and try to stop it.
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