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This Special Life

Is It A Temper Tantrum Or A Meltdown?

November 3, 2019 by This Special Life

unhappy child meltdown with spaghetti

We get it – it’s really hard to tell if your child with autism is having a sensory meltdown or a temper tantrum. And knowing the difference is really important – you want to deal with temper tantrums differently than a sensory meltdown! 

As parents of autistic children, we want to be sensitive to our child’s specific needs. We certainly don’t want to discipline them if they’re in sensory overload. It’s serious enough that you should learn the difference.

So, in the heat of the moment, how do you know?

According to experts, temper tantrums occur when your child doesn’t get what he or she wants. Your child is firmly in control of their behavior, and trying to get YOU – the parent – to do something.

A sensory meltdown, on the other hand, occurs when your autistic child loses complete control of their behavior. It’s a psychological traffic jam of information.

Here’s some key things to look out for if you’re not sure whether your child on the spectrum is having a temper tantrum or a meltdown.

Is It A Tantrum?

  • Goal oriented – your child is making a scene to get what they want
  • Watching for reactions – your child wants to see what you’ll do now that they’re making a scene
  • Injury avoidance – your child avoids things that might hurt them
  • Ends when the goal is met – your child stops having a tantrum when they get what they want
  • In control of behavior – your child can start and stop their tantrum

Tantrums are appropriate for infants and toddlers, and help your child learn self control. They’re an attempt to manipulate you, and an attempt to “test the boundaries” of what you’ll allow. 

Is your child checking out how you respond, or does the fit increase or decrease in intensity based on what YOU do? 

Is It A Sensory Meltdown?

  • No goals – your child doesn’t ask for anything and isn’t making a scene to get their way
  • Ignores your reactions – your child isn’t interested in what you’ll do
  • Ignores harm – your child is reacting (not thinking or manipulating) and ignores potentially dangerous situations
  • Slow to end – your child doesn’t stop or only stops when they’re not in sensory overload (meaning, they don’t stop when you give in to their demand).
  • Not in control of behavior – your child goes into “survival mode” due to being over stimulated and react instinctively

Meltdowns occur with children (and adults) who struggle with flexibility and self-regulation. They occur when the individual has too much information to process and can’t process it in a regulated way.  

Unlike tantrums, your child doesn’t care what you do – they flip into survival mode and want to get away from all the stimulation. The meltdowns don’t end quickly, and they stop when a trusted adult helps them calm down or they exhaust themselves. While you can soothe a temper tantrum, you can’t soothe a meltdown. 

While each child with autism is an individual, some general warning signs of meltdowns include spacing out or stimming prior to the meltdown.

Filed Under: For Parents Tagged With: kids, meltdown, self-control, sensory

5 Tips For a Safe & Fun Sensory Play Area

November 2, 2019 by This Special Life Leave a Comment

child playing with puzzle mat

Sensory games are perfect for children on the spectrum. They can prevent meltdowns, keep your child engaged with their world, and more. 

Setting up a fun play area in your home is simple. You can use a spare corner in their bedroom, or have a whole room devoted to sensory play.

In this article, we’ll share some tips for quickly creating a fun and safe sensory play area for your family to enjoy,

Keep It Easy

With sensory games, you want your child on the spectrum to stay focused and avoid overstimulation. So keep the play area neat, without too many other toys in the area. You want their focus only on the sensory activity. Similarly, if you have a variety of activities planned, just do one game at a time.

Let Them Explore 

You want your little ones to explore the world and discover an engaging activity for themselves. This fosters independence. So keep it safe, but let your child explore the sensory activity at their own pace. You should still engage with your child, but let them decide how they’ll play with the activity. 

If your child on the spectrum doesn’t like certain textures, it’s okay if they avoid part of the activity. Just let them have fun on their own terms, and enjoy engaging with their environment.

Avoid Food-Related Activities

While candy can make a good reward, with sensory games, you don’t want food play to be the focus. You don’t want your child associating food with play time. Choose activities that involve shaving cream, paint, or other toys instead of food. Particularly if your child has friends over – you don’t know if those children have food allergies!

Buy Sensory Game Toys At The Dollar Store or Amazon

You don’t have to spend a lot to create a fun play area. There’s many items you can get for just a $1, such as shaving cream, many kinds of paint, or foam stacking blocks. You can also have them sent directly to your home from Amazon. As sensory games become more common, you can find more and more ideas online.

Make Clean Up Easy

To make play time fun for both your child AND you, structure your activities so clean up is easy. Keep wipes and paper towels handy, and try to keep play limited to a certain area (such as a table). Be sure to fully clean up one activity before moving onto the next one.

If your child tends to be messy, choose activities that are easy to clean up, such as blocks, peg boards, fabric scraps, etc.

Filed Under: For Parents Tagged With: for parents, games, play, sensory

6 Pet Chickens Perfect For Kids On The Spectrum

November 1, 2019 by This Special Life

little girl holding baby chicken

Yes, there are pet chicken breeds that you’d mistake for a Muppet, and your kids will love them. You might ask, why raise such an odd pet? Well, you’ll see below exactly why your family will love these birds!

Silkies

silkie chicken with autistic girl

Silkies are very popular because of their soft plumage and easy-going temperaments. They make great pets – they’re calm, like being held, and are small enough for children to carry.

You can read more about silkies here and see how great their temperament is below:

Frizzles

frizzle chicken hen

Frizzles are a sweet type of chicken that will love to sit with you! With their funny feathers and “Muppet” like appearance, children love looking at them and petting their soft feathers. 

Mille Fleurs

A funny bird with a funny name! This colorful yet calm bantam chicken is affectionate and likes human company. They weigh about 4 pounds, and look like clowns! They’re easy for children to hold.

Polish Bantams

polish chicken

Polish bantams, like most bantams, love being held. They’re small – weighing only a couple pounds. Children especially love the fluffy crest of feathers that crown their head. 

Sultans

white sultan chicken

Sultans are a friendly breed with LOTS of fluffy feathers. They were originally bred as ornaments for the Sultan’s palaces during the Ottoman Empire, but have made their way into homes worldwide because they enjoy being around “their humans!”

Appenzeller Spitzhauben

These colorful chickens look like they have mohawks – which children LOVE. They’re friendly, and love getting treats!

Filed Under: For Parents Tagged With: chickens, kids, pets

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