Hello all, my daughter is eight years old. She is high functioning autistic. One trouble she has is she will either misunderstand social situation’s or become easily triggered. When these things happen her mind becomes disorganized and she will have meltdowns. She will not be able to gather her thoughts and ends up yelling at the other person (usually her older brother) but not in a way that is not productive to solving the problem…
I have talked to her about calm down techniques, but she is asking if there is ways that people with autism specifically handle these things. I know how I handle them, but I am coming from neurotypical perspective and even though I have done a lot of reading on this topic I feel it would be a good idea to reach out to the community to see if you all have any advice for her.
So what do you all do in a high stress situation where your brain just wants to yell? What helps sooth and calm, sooth, and organize thoughts?
My son has been provided a safe/quiet space to remove himself to and the option to go there when he feels it necessary as part of his IEP. It’s been a huge help and he’s been needing it less as he gets older. It doesn’t really solve problems, but it definitely helps prevent them from cropping up or spiraling out of control as often.
Sensory toys/fidgets are good too. It helps divert some of that frantic brain activity so it becomes more manageable.