14 Feb Tantrums and Meltdowns 101
Posted at 02:55h
in
All children throw tantrums, and the same is true for autistic children. Learn about the causes of meltdowns, what they really mean, and how best to deal with them when they happen.
Learn from Shannon Penrod of Autism Live as she discusses tantrums, meltdowns, their causes and how to deal with them.
What We Learned from this Video:
- Tantrums are a normal part of a child’s early development.
- A child with autism, who most likely has some issues with communication, will likely throw tantrums at an older age because they have not developed the communication skills necessary to evolve past it.
- Tantrums always serve a purpose, whether that be to get attention, get out of something, or to simply express frustration.
- Tantrums will not stop if they are rewarded or otherwise positively reinforced.
- Analyze the tantrum as it happens and make note of the behaviors your child displays. This not only prepares you for future tantrums, but gives you something to focus on during the tantrum.
- You have to know the function of the tantrum in order to change the before/after in an effective manner.
- Be willing to let some things go in order to take care of the tantrum-throwing behavior. It will be better in the long run.
- If you are using negative reinforcement to correct the behavior, always give the child an opportunity to earn something back or avoid a punishment with good behavior.
- Don’t take tantrums personally; they aren’t throwing them because you are a bad parent or they are a bad child.
Finding effective ways to stop tantrums without losing your cool is critical to correcting the behavior. Check out our shop for redirection tools that can distract your child from the behavior that may result in a tantrum.