When supporting somebody who is stressed, keep calm and quiet. Be a consistent, safe presence to help the person with autism feel they can begin to relax. Try to avoid showing that you are worried as this may make them feel less secure and more anxious. Give predictability and routine by writing things down.
Support your friend if they ask for help. Be sensitive to what they want and need, not just how you think they should improve or behave. Try not to talk over or about them when others are around. Help them work on social skills by trying to engage them in conversations with yourself and others.
Encourage the person with autism to take slow, deep breaths, holding each breath for a few seconds before exhaling. Sensory toys: Sensory toys can be a great way to help individuals with autism calm down. Fidget spinners, stress balls, and squishy toys can provide a calming and satisfying sensory experience.
Behavioural responses to stress can include shut down such as a flight response, or a meltdown explosion such as a fight response. Here, the student starts the day highly aroused and certain events, whether sensory experiences, changes in routine, or frustration, can create explosive responses.
Can Autism Get Worse With Stress? Stress can be a significant factor in exacerbating the symptoms of autism. Research has shown that stress can increase repetitive behaviors, anxiety levels, and sensory sensitivities in individuals with autism.
During a meltdown: what to do
When a meltdown happens, these steps can help: Guide your child to a safe place, if possible. Give your child space, don't touch them, and keep other people away. Turn down lights and keep things quiet, or give your child noise-cancelling headphones.
An increase in your autistic child's self-regulation behaviors, or regression to these behaviors, can be indicative that your child is feeling anxious. These behaviors include: meltdowns or emotional flareups. withdrawing from social situations.
For some children, sensory toys such as squeeze balls and fidget toys, weighted blankets, their favorite videos, or activities can help them manage their emotions. You can set up a calming routine that the child practices on a regular basis, and make it part of their daily schedule.
During a meltdown, we found that most autistics described feeling overwhelmed by information, senses, and social and emotional stress. They often felt extreme emotions, such as anger, sadness, and fear, and had trouble with thinking and memory during the meltdown.
Sensory overload happens when an intense sensory stimulus overwhelms your ability to cope. This can be triggered by a single event, like an unexpected loud noise, or it can build up over time due to the effort it takes to cope with sensory sensitivities in daily life.
Although this can sometimes feel challenging, it is important to recognize three very simple factors that every person with ASD needs: safety, acceptance and a sense of competence.
Explain you didn't mean to make them upset. Trying saying, “I'm sorry you are hurting.” Recognize and take responsibility for your mistake, even if it was an accident. Tell them that you hope they feel better.
This book describes a model of positive behavior supports for preventing and responding to the cycle of meltdown behavior for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The model includes six phases: Calm, Triggers, Agitation, Meltdowns, Re-Grouping, and Starting Over.
In addition to sensory triggers, certain chemicals found in everyday household products like cleaning supplies or air fresheners can also aggravate symptoms of autism. These chemicals include phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), which have been shown to disrupt hormones and affect behavior in animal studies.
If an intervention doesn't occur or doesn't solve the problem, a meltdown is almost inevitable. While some people with autism merely yell or stamp, many really do become overwhelmed by their own emotions. 3 Bolting, hitting, self-abuse, crying, and screaming are all possibilities.
Autistic burnout might look like:
Withdrawing from your usual social activities or relationships. Difficulty with executive functioning, such as completing tasks and making decisions Increase in repetitive behaviors, like stimming. Difficulty with activities of daily living like cooking, cleaning or personal hygiene.
Many autistic people have intense and highly-focused interests, often from a fairly young age. These can change over time or be lifelong. It can be art, music, gardening, animals, postcodes or numbers.