9/5/2023 0 Comments Sensory meltdown example![]() ![]() ![]() When this happens and your child has a meltdown, the best thing you can possibly do for them is keep them safe by making sure there is nothing around them that can cause them to get hurt and to give them space. However, if sirens bother your child and a neighbor’s house is on fire, you cannot predict or prevent your child experiencing sirens in that situation. ![]() In the example above, you can reasonably prevent a child from needing to cope with fire engine sounds if a firetruck is visiting the school by having a teacher not take him outside to see the fire truck or by using noise canceling headphones. You cannot always prevent a child from encountering things that cause them to have a meltdown. Preventing a meltdown is always better than responding to a meltdown. You should do your best to remove them from the situation or use a preventative measure like wearing headphones. For example, if your child has a meltdown because of sirens caused by a fire engine and a fire truck is coming to visit your school, telling your child they are going to hear the sirens before they occur won’t make it any easier for their brain to process the sound once it occurs. It is not that they don’t want to be able to tolerate something – it’s that they can’t. Since a meltdown is not a choice, informing your child about the presence of something ahead of time they struggle to cope with will not help. If you know what causes a meltdown, do your best to prevent it for your child. It could even be a specific pitch that can cause a meltdown. Most often, there is a particular sense that can cause a meltdown for your child. Since meltdowns are so unpleasant for everyone involved, especially the person having one, the best thing to do to support an individual is to try to prevent them from taking place in the first place. For more help in understanding the difference between a tantrum and a meltdown, Autistic self advocate James Paul Wagner explains the difference in his own words. For the purpose of this blog article, a meltdown is caused by a sensory overload not problematic behavior. Often a meltdown is used interchangeably with a tantrum. It is a true neurological inability to cope with stimulus in the environment. It doesn’t mean they are being naughty or that they are spoiled. It is important that parents make a distinction between a true “Autism meltdown” and tantrum. When they do occur, a parent must be respectful to a child and do their best to understand what is happening. When addressing meltdowns, it is always better to try to help avoid them in the first place. But they are even harder for a child than they are for a parent. They are one of the hardest parts of being an Autism parent. One of the things that is most frustrating for parents of kids on the spectrum is to deal with meltdowns. Cute little Afro-American girl covering her ears, in the backgroung mother scolding her. ![]()
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