It might help to distract your child with a different task or activity that they find motivating. Try to distract him or her from the trigger points.įor some children, the escalation phase can be interrupted.
Complaining of physical issues like dizziness or heart poundingģ.Moving restlessly, like fidgeting or pacing.Trying to shut out noises, sights, and other sensory things, or trying to run away or hide.Refusing to follow directions or cooperate.Repeating thoughts or questions over and over.Trouble thinking clearly, making decisions, or responding to questions.If you catch the signs early enough, you might be able to help your child calm down before a full-blown meltdown occurs. Or you may notice that there are certain places where these meltdowns happen, like noisy or crowded places. In that case, hunger or fatigue may be trigger points. Or maybe meltdowns happen close to mealtimes or bedtime. You may notice that your child gets anxious before school or seems overwhelmed at the end of the day. Knowing your child’s trigger points can make it easier to avoid meltdowns. For others, it might be unexpected changes, or pain and fear. For some children it might be emotional or sensory overload. They are not the same for every child and your child may not be reacting to something obvious (for you). Get to know your child’s reactions to too much or too little stimuli. If you can’t stop a meltdown, there are ways you can respond to help your child regain control. Knowing the triggers can help you avoid a total explosion or your child becoming completely exhausted. Managing meltdowns is more complicated than taming tantrums. They are more extreme than tantrums, and kids are not in control of these reactions. Meltdowns are a full-body reaction to being overwhelmed. For example, your child may start to feel calmer when you step outside the store and leave the mall. This can help children feel less overwhelmed.
The other is a change in the amount of sensory input. One is fatigue – children wear themselves out. Meltdowns tend to end in one of two ways. The goal is to reduce how much information is coming in. “Let’s leave the mall and sit in the car for a few minutes.” Then provide a calm, reassuring presence without talking too much to your child. To manage a meltdown, help your child find a safe, quiet place to de-escalate. During a meltdown a child is not in control of their actions and they need your support and love. This could be expressed through lashing out, yelling, running or completely shutting down. Once this happens, their ‘fight or flight’ instinct is displayed. Having to process all these is sensory overload. The sound of the crowd and the sight of too many people could be overwhelming for him or her. This could be through a certain sound, sight, taste, smell or an overwhelming demand placed on a child.įor example, when you bring your child in a crowded mall. This may happen when your child is receiving too much sensory input. Meltdowns What Is A Meltdown?Ī meltdown is a response to overwhelmed feelings or sensory overload. Even so, they should not be used incorrectly or inappropriately, because of their distinct differences. There are similarities in terms of symptom behavior to both. The terms meltdown and tantrum are usually used interchangeably.