Managing autism meltdown how to#

Shifting their attention to a special interest frequently serves as an ‘off switch’ and facilitates the return of self control.Acknowledge and validate their level of distress and explain that the intense feelings will eventually pass.Ask if they would like a hug before entering their personal space.Invoking consequences will only inflame the situation. Focus primarily upon restoring emotional control.They are not in a position to articulate their feelings and provide a coherent and sequential explanation of what bothers them, so don’t ask that of them.

The autistic individual needs to move through and beyond their emotions, not return to the cause and perseverate about it.

Don’t ask about the cause of the meltdown.

Focus on what to do moving forward, not the unacceptable behavior.

Managing autism meltdown how to#

The automated voice never criticizes or judges the driver for being lost, but simply and calmly explains how to rectify the situation. Autism lecturer Sue Larkey came up with the analogy of a navigational GPS system in a car. Remain calm and only talk about what the person can do to regain control over their volatile emotions.What needs to happen is a restoration of reasonable thought and behavior so that the individual can regain self-control. When the meltdown is internalized, there is extreme self-hatred and blame, going so far as to have suicidal thoughts or actions, in effect attacking one’s self. If the meltdown is externalized, intense despair manifests as anger, with destruction of property or aggression towards someone. Individuals with autism have a catastrophic reaction when overly stressed, anxious or frustrated. How then should one cope with an autistic meltdown? Often beleaguered family members at home call for help, not knowing the respondents could cause more harm than good. We read so many news articles about autistic children having a meltdown in school and ending up shackled by police and taken to the station.