Find sensory tools that can comfort a child at times of stress. These may include squeezy toys, weighted blankets, a calming video or book, a swing set, or even a pet. If a meltdown occurs, allow your child the time and space to calm themselves down and learn to self-regulate.
During a meltdown: what to do
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. Let one person speak to your child, but don't say too much. Stay calm and wait.
Full intensity colors should be avoided. Red should never be used in the home as children with ASD perceive the color as florescent. Yellows likewise are very stimulating and are best to avoid. Greens, blues, pinks, soft oranges and neutrals can be very comforting.
visual stimulation – for example, looking at something sideways, watching an object spin or fluttering fingers near the eyes. repetitive behaviour – for example, opening and closing doors or flicking switches. chewing or mouthing objects. listening to the same song or noise over and over.
Loud sounds, ticking from the clock, loud voices, harsh tones of voice, scary looking people, stern people, children screaming, babies crying, crowded conditions, bright lights, flashing lights, or many of these things together can cause a child with autism to meltdown.
Keep your turns short at first, so your son needs to listen for only a short time before you praise or reward him. As he gets better at listening and waiting his turn, try gradually lengthening your answers (or those of another partner). We like combining this game with the talking stick or listen/talk signs.
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities include: The child may exhibit strong interests in a specific topic or toy. Children with autism have been known to have extreme interests, such as memorizing train schedules or dates in history, or categorizing all aspects of aquatic life.
For our patients with autism, we often recommend an elimination diet—eliminating gluten, dairy, sugar, corn, soy, and other categories of potentially allergenic foods for one month.
About stress in families with autistic children
For example, they might feel stressed because they: are coming to terms with a diagnosis and what it means for their child. are finding it hard to manage daily life with an autistic child. are having trouble managing challenging behaviour in their autistic child.
Autistic children can get frustrated if they're expected to do something they don't have the skills for, like getting dressed independently. Autistic children can have sleep problems. If your child isn't getting enough good-quality sleep or is tired from an activity or situation, this can cause challenging behaviour.
Two types of reaction are typical of autism meltdowns – an explosive reaction or a withdrawal. Explosive reactions may involve screaming, shouting, aggressive behaviour or crying. On the other hand, less explosive reactions may include refusing to communicate or interact, withdrawing themselves or shutting down.
"It's unfair to discipline a child with a disability."
So, for example, scolding a child with autism for "stimming" or making noise may well be unreasonable. These are behaviors that are part and parcel of being autistic, and it may be nearly impossible for the child to simply "extinguish" those behaviors.
Autistic people may display a range of strengths and abilities that can be directly related to their diagnosis, including: Learning to read at a very early age (known as hyperlexia). Memorising and learning information quickly. Thinking and learning in a visual way.
More recent research has used the house mouse (Mus musculus) to model autism because it is a social species. Other strains of mice used include mu opioid receptor knockout mice, as well as Fmr1 knockout mice; the latter are also used as animal models of Fragile X syndrome.
Light pastel pink has often been chosen as the favorite colour for children with autism in some tests conducted. Cool colors such as blue and green also have a soothing effect. It is recommended that primary and bright colours be used only for toys or play objects in their rooms.
Blue “Forget-me-not” flower to raise awareness for the needs of people with autism.
High levels of stress during pregnancy may also be connected to autism in children. This connection appears to have the most impact when the parent experiences stress between weeks 25 and 28 of pregnancy.