meltdown adjusted

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  1. imagine being a parent and getting a call from your
  2. child's teacher telling you they had to be restrained today
  3. or worse that your seven year old was so out
  4. of control.
  5. They had him arrested and you have to come pick
  6. him up.
  7. We talk a lot about parent involvement in I.
  8. E. P.
  9. Planning but we tend to focus on goals and how
  10. to achieve them.
  11. I urge parents not to sign anything until you know
  12. how the school will handle autistic meltdowns.
  13. The truth is many people, parents and teachers don't know
  14. how to handle them today.
  15. You're gonna learn welcome to how to handle an autistic
  16. meltdown at home or school.
  17. The goal of today's workshop is to understand what meltdowns
  18. are, learn how to handle them safely and construct your
  19. own crisis plan which we will be doing along the
  20. way with the handout provided.
  21. Also I am living proof that autistic adults also have
  22. meltdowns. But for the sake of this workshop we will
  23. be focusing on Children.
  24. Before we can talk about how to handle a meltdown,
  25. we need to be able to identify one.
  26. What is the difference between a tantrum and a meltdown?
  27. A tantrum is a skill deficit child is tantrum ng
  28. because of the skill they do not yet have, whether
  29. it's communication delayed gratification, accepting.
  30. No, it's all part of normal development.
  31. Tantrums also tend to be goal oriented and may require
  32. an audience.
  33. Have you ever left a room where a toddler's tantrum
  34. ng? Only for them to get up and follow you?
  35. A meltdown on the other hand, is a neurological event.
  36. It is caused by emotional or physical dis regulation or
  37. sensory overwhelm there's no goal in mind and they're often
  38. embarrassing. So an audience is not required.
  39. Let's go ahead and take a minute to fill out
  40. the first box in your handout.
  41. What are two ways to distinguish a meltdown from a
  42. tantrum? Yeah, okay, let's talk safety.
  43. You want to get the child to a safe place
  44. in the room away from objects corners.
  45. Anything they could grab her throat that would hurt someone,
  46. you should have a designated place in your home or
  47. classroom for this.
  48. People in distress will tend to naturally back away when
  49. someone comes up to them, so you can use this
  50. instinct to try and herd them towards this space as
  51. opposed to trying to grab them or pull them to
  52. where you want to go block any hitting or running.
  53. If they're hitting themselves, you can block with your hands
  54. or a pillow.
  55. The last thing we want to do is restrain and
  56. blocking helps us do that.
  57. Remember, there is no such thing as a safe restraint.
  58. So the only reason to ever restrain a child is
  59. if their life is in immediate danger, it's still in
  60. the next box on our hand out, write down how
  61. you will set up your designated safe place.
  62. Okay, so after safety this is one of the most
  63. important things to remember.
  64. Stop talking.
  65. A meltdown is not a teaching moment.
  66. Let go of whatever task was being asked of them,
  67. do not give commands or ask them to use their
  68. words and don't ask questions.
  69. What can I do to support you is not actually
  70. helpful here.
  71. It's just another problem for them to try and solve.
  72. Remember, low and slow, if you must speak, do so
  73. in a low calm voice and speak and move slowly.
  74. Yeah, you cannot take meltdowns personally.
  75. Do not yell.
  76. Do not scold.
  77. Do not reprimand it is beyond their control and don't
  78. hold it against them.
  79. Later meltdowns are exhausting and embarrassing.
  80. The last thing a child needs in their life is
  81. shame. Go ahead and take a few minutes to write
  82. down why a meltdown is not a teachable moment.
  83. Okay, so we've gotten them to a safe place now,
  84. it's time to co regulate.
  85. What does that look like you're gonna want to try
  86. and get them to the floor, sit with them and
  87. model self regulation.
  88. These are two of my favorite methods.
  89. So one of the ways is through stemming like hand
  90. flapping or body rocking or using a favorite stem tool.
  91. Sometimes autistic kids need to remember that.
  92. This is an option, especially if they've ever been punished
  93. for it in the past.
  94. You know your kids best.
  95. So go ahead and model their favorite stem, do it
  96. with them.
  97. Another option is deep breathing.
  98. One way to do this is to put your hand
  99. on your chest, to show your chest moving up and
  100. down. Or if they're okay with touch putting their hand
  101. on your chest and vice versa.
  102. So you can really feel that movement.
  103. You can also do a self hug with breath out.
  104. Be sure to continue to do this with them until
  105. they calm.
  106. Let's fill out that last box right down two ways
  107. that you will model self regulation for your child.
  108. Once you have your plan, make sure to go over
  109. it with the child.
  110. You can take pictures and make a social story or
  111. use up export.
  112. There are several strategies for understanding and reducing stress, like
  113. sticking to routines or implementing physical exercise throughout the day,
  114. but no matter how good we get at recognizing signs
  115. and defusing them, eventually meltdowns happen.
  116. Having a safe and effective plan that the child is
  117. aware of is a vital part of any I E
  118. P for autistic Children.
  119. Thank you for watching and I hope this helps