Blog – Meltdowns & Triggers

Meltdowns & Triggers

One of the most challenging things we have to deal with as parents of autistic children are the meltdowns.  These moments of overwhelming emotional outbursts can be very distressing for both you and your child.  However, understanding what the triggers are and learning effective strategies to navigate meltdowns can greatly improve in curbing them and handling them when they do happen.

Meltdowns are usually intense responses to overwhelming situations of stimuli.  They are NOT tantrums or deliberate acts of defiance but rather a coping mechanism for the child when they feel overloaded.  Recognising the signs of an impending meltdown is crucial for us as parents to intervene early and prevent escalation.

Every child has unique triggers that can lead to meltdowns

For Max, it could be the sound of an hedge trimmer, which I don’t necessarily even hear as it is just part of the background noise for me.  However, I have learnt that when he starts moaning, I pay attention to any distinctive noises around us.  I will then identify the noise for him and offer to go to a quieter room or give him his noise cancelling headphones.  This generally curbs the meltdown before it goes too far.

These triggers can vary widely for each child, like Max, from sensory overload to changes in routines or unexpected transitions.

Here again, with our move to a different country, Max’s behaviour was super energetic, wanting to elope and aggressive tendencies.  It is essential for us to observe our children closely to identify specific triggers and patterns that precede meltdowns.

Effective strategies include the following:

• Creating a safe environment.  Establishing a calm and predictable environment at home can help reduce the occurrence of meltdowns.  Minimizing sensory overload by controlling noise levels, providing sensory-friendly spaces and maintaining consistent routines.
• Teaching your child coping skills to help them regulate their emotions when they feel overwhelmed.  This could include deep breathing exercises, using sensory tools like fidget toys or their ipad and practicing relaxation techniques.
• Visual aids such as visual schedules, social stories and picture cards can help autistic children understand and anticipate upcoming events or transitions, reducing anxiety and preventing meltdowns.  With our move, I was constantly running through exactly what we were going to do, from going to the airport, navigating customs, being on the plane and what was going to happen when we landed here.  This greatly helped calm things down, however, there are unforeseen circumstances, which you will need to navigate as they come up.
• Encourage and praise your child for using coping strategies effectively, even during minor stressors.  Positive reinforcement can motivate them to continue using these skills in challenging situations.

Meltdown & Triggers

It is completely normal for us as parents to also feel overwhelmed during our child’s meltdown, but maintaining a calm and composed demeanor is crucial.  Your child looks to you for guidance and reassurance, so modeling patience and understanding is essential.

During a meltdown, you can provide comfort and reassurance to your child without overwhelming them further.  Use soothing words and gentle touch to let them know you are there for them and that it is okay to express their emotions.  Sometimes when Max is having a meltdown (which does not happen all that often anymore) he just wants me there, no words or touching, so I just give him the space to allow his feelings.

In my membership program I have a whole section on how to deal with the emotions that come up for you as a parent, the embarrassment, anger, shame and fear.  I walk you through how to handle various situations so they don’t worry you anymore.  The whole idea is to get your child to the point where they very rarely have meltdowns because they and you pick up on the triggers sooner and you and your child are more able to deal with them in an effective manner.

Meltdown & Triggers

Our community is there to support you and to help you through the challenging times.  Remember you know your child best and all it takes is for you to be a little bit more vigilant in noticing what your child’s triggers are and to help minimize those.  We are not always going to be able to do that, so we also want to help them figure out an effective way to deal with them, we want to teach them coping skills so that they can regulate themselves.  This is ultimately what we want for our children.  To be able to stand on their own and to navigate life as successfully as possible.

Till next week.

A

Xxx

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