One of the most misunderstood autistic behaviors is the meltdown. Frequently, it is the result of some sort of overwhelming stimulation of which cause is often a mystery to parents and teachers. Autistic children tend to suffer from sensory overload issues that can create meltdowns. Children who have neurological disorders other than autism can suffer from meltdowns as well. Unlike temper tantrums, these children are expressing a need to withdraw and slowly collect themselves at their own pace. Children who have temper tantrums are looking for attention. They have the ability to understand that they are trying to manipulate the behavior of the others. This “theory of mind” is totally foreign to an autistic child who has no clue that others cannot “read” their mind or feelings. The inability to understand this causes them a great amount of frustration. A meltdown is best defined by saying it is a total loss of behavioral control. It is loud, risky at times, frustrating, and exhausting for the child and parent.
Here are a few websites that can give you more formation and tips about raising an Autistic child:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/
http://www.care.com/special-needs-how-to-handle-the-4-most-challenging-autism-behaviors-p1017-q14202645.html
http://www.parents.com/health/autism/parenting/day-to-day-raising-autistic-child/
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/autism_story.html
~Dedicated to my beautiful and intelligent niece~
