Soothing the Storm: Strategies for Managing Autism Meltdowns and Celebrating Mother's Day Connection

Discover how to navigate the stormy seas of meltdowns in children with autism. As your guide, I'll unveil the secret to creating an environment of comfort and security through routine and predictability. I'll share effective strategies for diminishing anxiety and handling the inevitable disruptions, showcasing how tools like advanced warnings and visual schedules can be lifelines. Tune in for insights on recognizing the harbingers of a meltdown—from the cries to the chaos—and learn the art of crafting a serene, sensory-friendly haven for your child to find peace. Our conversation will also delve into the critical aftermath of a meltdown, where calm, empathy, and a no-judgment stance pave the way for conversations that unearth triggers and introduce individualized calming techniques, making every challenging moment an opportunity for growth and understanding.

Then, shifting from the intensity of meltdowns to a celebration of love and gratitude, we open our hearts to Mother's Day, inviting your stories and questions to take center stage in our new fan mail feature. It's a chance to weave your voice into our community tapestry, sharing your experiences and insights as we honor the special women in our lives. Send in your fan mail, and let's come together to create a Mother's Day filled with genuine connection and collective reflection. Remember, your input is the heartbeat of our conversation, and I can't wait to hear from you. Until then, take care and keep embracing the journey, one step at a time.

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:26

Hi everyone. Today I'm going to talk about meltdowns. I know that's part of the spectrum, but we're going to talk about some strategies, ways that maybe you can handle it. And the question is how do you handle meltdowns, not just regarding the child, but also yourself? How do you handle that?

Speaker 0: 0:48

So one thing about our autistic kids is they need patterns, they need routines, and life's not always about the routine. There's things that happen and we have to deal with how they interact with what happens. You know, if something isn't going right, like they get up in the morning, they have their routine and then all of a sudden something is different and they are having a meltdown. So what can we do? Our kids need to know what's next and they need to know that if it doesn't go as planned, what can they do to calm their anxiety? Because they are going to have anxiety, and if you've ever been in a position where you've had anxiety, you know it's not a fun feeling. So, and there's a lot of things that can happen it could be a death in the family, maybe you're moving, it could be the weather you know you were planning something and it started raining, and so that there's a change and there's things that just out of your control, that you cannot do anything about it, and also like going to the school, you know, through September to June or whatever the case may be, and then summer's here, so that's a different, different routine than you have every day for school. So then again we need to think about what we can do to calm yourself down. Notice a change? Give them a you know, a warning like, okay, we're almost done with school, now summer's coming and this is what we're going to do, this is our schedule and write out the schedule. Do PECS with the schedule pictures of what it's going to be like, so they feel like they're in control and they know what to expect.

Speaker 0: 2:33

So some of the things that happens during the meltdown is screaming, crying or lashing out, biting, disrupting behavior, maybe throwing things or wiping the table with papers or something like that. Stemming is also something. Their heart may be racing. They may be heartbeats racing, going a little pale or disoriented, or they may have stomach aches, and those are some of the things that can happen when they're during a meltdown. So what can we do to help them? We can decrease some of the stimulants around them, make them aware of their surrounding, what is happening around them. Help them to focus, because right now they're not focusing, they're just way out of control. They will increase. They're harming themselves, they're harming you.

Speaker 0: 3:30

So we need to make sure they have space in their environment to be left alone. They may be having a hard time communicating, can't make a decision, their stomach may be increasing. So we just need to let them have a space. And a lot of times, like in a classroom, you can have okay, you know, go to your space and they go to their space. Or sometimes they'll start feeling that and recognize it and start maybe go under the table, even at home, or go to their room and just need that minute or two to decompress, and that's okay. We need to let them do that. Don't scold them because they went to the room or went to a place that you have for them to help them calm down. Let them they're doing what they're supposed to be doing, what they've been trained to do.

Speaker 0: 4:19

And I know a lot of times teachers or people that work with our kids they get mad if they all of a sudden they leave the chair and they go under the table or go into the room. We can't do that. We've got to let them have their time. They may need to decompress, so we got to do that. So have a safe place and decrease sensory if you can, if you can identify it.

Speaker 0: 4:41

So what was it? Was it Too much lighting? Was it getting too warm in the room? There could be a lot of different things. So try to figure out which is that's hurting them and avoid touching them at first. You know it may be that it'd be the opposite and they need that hug to decompress. That's a way to help them calm down and lower your voice. Don't get upset. Don't be screaming and hollering. That's not going to do anybody any good, including yourself, and you're just getting your blood pressure worked up. So we need to just stay calm and it will stop, and know that it will be okay. Let them understand that you understand that they feel uncomfortable and it's okay to feel uncomfortable. We all do at times.

Speaker 0: 5:27

Talk about calming strategies with them. Once they're calmed down, figure out okay, when this happens, what can we do to help you calm down? Don't judge and, like I said, don't scream at them. Don't try to explain the situation. What happened? You shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have done this. Don't do that Just deal with what is right there at the moment and get them to calm down.

Speaker 0: 5:51

And then, you know, think about what, what triggered them. Maybe they'll start talking and start saying I don't like this or I feel cold, or I feel hot, or there's too much light. They may let you know and don't try to restrain them. That's an old, old way they used to do stuff and that doesn't do any good and it's not healthy for you and it's not healthy for them. So just kind of leave them alone a little bit.

Speaker 0: 6:19

Some things you can do is help teach them breathing, you know, like blowing bubbles. Maybe you get the bubbles out, you know, say, okay, you need to go outside and calm down, blow some bubbles. Or even in the house, movement, jumping or swinging or stretching, is another idea that you can do to help them. And depressions, like I said, they may not want to be touched and every child is different, so you have to figure out what's best for your child. Or they may need the deep impressions and that's where you kind of just maybe, on their shoulders, press down a little bit or give them a hug and just apply that pressure or rocking. Maybe have one of those big exercise balls and they can lay on their belly and rock back and forth or on their back whatever feels good for them.

Speaker 0: 7:06

Because sometimes what happens with our kids that are on their back, whatever feels good for them. Because sometimes what happens with our kids that are on the spectrum, their sensory issues may be really high that day and we may not notice it. So if they're like rubbing their skin or rubbing the table or you see them doing you know more stemming type things, then they may be more, have more anxiety that day. And that could be from just the environment, it could be from medication, it could be from foods, it could be a lot of things. But if you see, you start noticing that kind of stuff, then we need to be aware of it.

Speaker 0: 7:38

And when I had kids in the room that would have a meltdown, that's the first thing I would say okay, what caused this meltdown? What happened? So sometimes meltdowns are for avoidance too. They didn't want to do a non-preferred task. So we have to look at that too. Communication, maybe some emotional cards or drawings to explain what happened. So, like afterwards, have them draw a picture and say, hey, why were you feeling this way? Can you draw me a picture of something.

Speaker 0: 8:10

Make a list of the five senses. What did you hear? What did you see? What did they taste? What did they smell? All those things we need to look at, because those are all could be triggers for our kids. We can use some aids would be a headphones or sunglasses.

Speaker 0: 8:27

Have a calming kit, and that kit would have to be something that would pertain to your child and that could be like maybe toys, little animal toys, or lotion and oils to rub on stickers, maybe some music, a squeaky thing, or they squeeze a little ball that they squeeze onto something like that, sometimes something to chew, like potato chips or candy or something like that. So think of those senses and make a little kit that when they're having a meltdown, they get to get the kit and use that. Fidget toys is another thing that they can use, and there's a lot of different ones. A lot of kids like the pop-it things, something with a texture on it that they can feel things, something with a texture on it that they can feel, maybe some scented playdoh for the smell or something that's scented. It can be a little toy or something that's scented, has scents in it, like lavender or something like that to help calm. Or a timer for a sand timer they like to watch those sand timers, so that's another thing. Or find a timer that they enjoy and say, okay, I need three minutes or four minutes or whatever the case may be, and set that sander. So anyway, those are some tips on meltdown and I hope this has helped you today.

Speaker 0: 9:51

I know that it's very hard to deal with that. You we want to make it less and you can. It can happen, especially if you got little guys. You want to start young and get them to have some coping skills, because I can. I can tell you from experience parents that't. Then when they get older and they have meltdowns, they're calling the police and it happens all the time and you know our policemen are not always trained to deal with that. So they come out and they try to get everybody calm back down. You know what are you going to do. You can't arrest the kid or anything like that. But if you do have an adult or an older kid that is still having those meltdowns and lashing out and wasn't trained at an early age, then you need to get assistance in how to help that child learn to cope with things that may not be in your control.

Speaker 0: 10:52

Okay, so I hope you had a blessed day today, and Mother's Day is coming up pretty soon, so I hope you have a great time. And, like I said, now it has where you can ask questions or leave a comment and I will get the email. Buzzsprout, which is what I use, has it. So it's called fan mail, I think? Yeah, fan mail. So if you want to leave me a message, I'd be happy to respond. Have a great day. Bye-bye.