Confined spaces, bright lights and loud noises can cause anxiety to spike. In some cases, a crowded subway car or airplane cabin can be enough to trigger a meltdown. On an airplane, for example, you have to contend with limited space and noises your child might not be used to. Worse, you might not be able to find a quiet spot to get away from the crowd. In public, however, you have to deal with an audience. When a child has an autism meltdown at home, it’s often easier to calm them down because they’re in a familiar environment. Fidget spinners, stress balls and sensory items are usually conveniently sized, so you can keep a few in your work desk drawer for when you need them. Proprioceptive input can work great for adults, too. You can even switch out items to keep the toolkit exciting for your child. Let your child know the toolkit is there whenever they need it. Ideas for a sensory toolkit include storage baggies filled with buttons and other sorting items, stress balls or squishy toys and dough or molding clay. You can even put your toolkit in a fun backpack your child likes to carry. Incorporate meltdown soothing strategies from home by assembling a sensory toolkit you can throw in your bag or in the car. Parents usually know what soothes their child. Sensory items can help a child with autism get the proprioceptive input they need. As an adult, it can be tough to find a private, quiet space where you can decompress if you feel overstimulated.įortunately, there are several ways to manage an autism meltdown when you’re out of the house. It’s easy to feel like every eye is on you when your child is wailing or kicking and screaming on the floor. When you’re out and about or traveling, however, easing a meltdown can be a major challenge. They know their child’s routines and preferred ways of self-soothing. Likewise, most parents of children with autism know how to handle a meltdown at home. However, many will tell you they do better when they experience a meltdown at home, where they’re in a comfortable, familiar environment. Are coworkers bothered? Is a project going to suffer? What if a meltdown forces you to go home for the day? Unfortunately, this stress can make the symptoms of an autism meltdown even worse.Ħ Ways to Manage an Autism Meltdown on the GoĪdults with autism usually develop effective coping strategies for managing meltdowns. Like McKay states, many adults with autism worry about whether a meltdown is affecting the people around them. They can happen at anytime and can be caused by a number of factors including: environmental stimuli, stress, uncertainty, rapid and impactful change and much more.” Meltdowns are emotional avalanches that run their course whether you or the autistic person having it likes it or not. It doesn’t last long but once triggered, there’s no stopping it. McKay writes, “ is the complete loss of emotional control experienced by an autistic person. To the outside world, however, autism meltdowns might be a source of confusion or misunderstanding.Īs Ashlea McKay, an adult with autism, describes, autism meltdowns aren’t panic attacks or the side effect of having a stressful day. If you’re an adult who has autism, you’re probably familiar with meltdowns. Adults with Autism: Why Do Autism Meltdowns Happen? Different kids have different triggers, and children with autism can feel overwhelmed by noise, stress, large crowds or an unfamiliar experience like traveling. However, a meltdown is something altogether different. Like any child, kids with autism can certainly throw a temper tantrum every now and then. In children with autism, however, meltdowns occur due to sensory overstimulation. Children sometimes throw a tantrum to get their way or to express a strong emotion. Tantrums are common among young children, but they’re not the same thing as an autism meltdown. Probably every parent on the planet has dealt with a child’s temper tantrum - whether you make the mistake of offering chicken nuggets instead of a hot dog, or you announce that it’s bedtime in the middle of a favorite television show. Kids with Autism: Autism Meltdowns Are Not Tantrums Here are our best tips for minimizing meltdowns and soothing yourself or your child when you feel a meltdown coming on. Whether you’re an adult on the spectrum, or your child has autism, having a few strategies in the back of your mind may help you deal with meltdowns before they get out of hand. However, there are tools and techniques to manage autism meltdowns when they happen - even in crowded spaces. For many people with autism, a public meltdown is a source of anxiety and frustration.
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