What is going on? Why are our autistic teenagers struggling so much with life? In this blog we cover 10 likely challenges your autistic teenager faces every day, with a hope to increase your understanding of why your teenager is struggling so much. They come home from school catastrophically tired, seeming to need hours in the bedroom lying on the bed to recover, or disappearing into a computer monitor, only to emerge in a worse mood than they went in with. On some days even the smallest trigger, for example, looking at the person, can trigger a meltdown. They often experience very strong emotions, including anxiety, stress, depression, and anger. If you live with, teach or work with an autistic teenager, it is very likely that you have noticed that many days seem to be characterised by struggle. ![]() What do sensory meltdowns look like?Īll children react differently, but behaviour you might see during a sensory meltdown includes children covering their eyes or ears or shutting down and refusing to move.By Dr Michelle Garnett & Prof Tony Attwood Introduction Where do sensory meltdowns happen?Īll sorts of situations can lead to sensory meltdowns: parties, fireworks displays, changes of routine or even just too many changes of activity in a short space of time. This is how it feels for a child having a sensory meltdown. Imagine what that is like but far, far more intense, as you experience these things for the very first time and are still trying to make sense of the world around you. ![]() It’s not behaviour that can be controlled or stopped through better understanding of their feelings and emotions, instead it’s a reaction to the environment around them.Ī good way to understand it is to think of times when you’ve felt overwhelmed by a busy, loud, bright, smelly environment. But remember, this is not your child behaving badly, so cut yourself a break.Īlthough it can look like a temper tantrum, a sensory meltdown is when a child reacts to overstimulation through sights, sounds, tastes, textures and sounds. It's difficult, especially when a meltdown happens in public. Tell your child in advance that it might be noisy, ask them to say if it's getting too much, and bring along their favourite cuddly toy. Think about environments that may be over-stimulating and plan for them, or when routines change, or going to a crowded place, such as a shopping centre. ![]() If possible move your child away from the environment they're reacting to.Ĭan you find somewhere gentler on their ears, eyes, and other senses? Somewhere quieter and less busy with lower lighting. You being calm can help your child calm down.ĭuring a meltdown they won't be able to take in too many words, so encourage and show them how to breathe in and out slowly. But how can you manage this when everything is so sensitive? A child having a sensory meltdown often wants quiet and calm. It's reacting to the environment, and it's often beyond their control.Ī child to stop having a tantrum, usually when they get what they want. A sensory meltdown is an overload to the brain by too much stimulation from lights, sounds, sights, tastes, and textures. Tantrums often happen out of frustration. That's what having a sensory meltdown can feel like for a child.Ī sensory meltdown is very different to a tantrum. Well imagine that feeling multiplied thousands of times. ![]() You know that overloaded feeling you get when you're in a really busy shop, or when everyone's talking far too loudly?
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