Tantrums are behavioral responses to not getting their way. Tantrums are normal reactions in young children to frustration at not getting what they want and are very developmentally appropriate, especially with 2 year olds. Tantrums can be from decreased emotional regulation abilities when dealing with frustrations. While tantrums are common in young children, it’s important to note that they can also occur in older children and even adults. It’s usually seen in young children as a result of frustration or wanting something that they cannot have. Send me the FREE guide What is a Tantrum?Ī tantrum is an outburst of behavior characterized by intense emotions and physical actions. It is important to recognize your own triggers and then form a plan to remove yourself from the situation, remove the stimuli, or use calming techniques. They can also be triggered by other forms of sensory overload or sensory overstimulation. Not everyone recognizes the signs of hunger before they occur, thus the newly coined term “ Hangry“. For many adults (and children) a sensory trigger is hunger. Meltdowns in adults are way more common than tantrums :). It is important to recognize that adults can have meltdowns too. If your child is under the age of 3, consider a referral to your state's early intervention program if you suspect a developmental delay may e a contributing factor. If your child is having a lot of tantrums and/or meltdowns a pediatric occupational therapist can help you determine and react appropriately to your child's sensory triggers. Or avoid the situations that overwhelm your child. Once you recognize your child's sensory triggers, you can help incorporate calming activities before a full meltdown occurs. Validate the child’s feelings “I understand loud noises are unsettling.Talk to the child in a quiet and understanding way.Offer comfort and reassurance with a calming steady voice.Demonstrate ways to regulate their bodies and feelings such as breathing techniques.Allow the child to express their feelings on the concern.Provide a safe and comfortable environment.Remove the child from the over-stimulating situation.Some strategies you can use to help manage a meltdown include: It’s also important to try to identify the cause of the meltdown, as this can help you to address the underlying issue and prevent future meltdowns. It’s important to try to remain patient and understanding, and to provide a supportive and calming environment for the child. The most important thing to remember is to remain calm and not to take the meltdown personally. Once a meltdown has started, it’s important to take steps to manage it and help the child cope with their emotions. The goal is to reduce the number of meltdowns and the sensory overload your child experiences. Recognizing your child is becoming overwhelmed and taking action PRIOR to the meltdown is the most important part of managing meltdowns. It’s important to remember that these signs are not always indicative of a meltdown, but they can be useful in recognizing the signs of an impending meltdown. Repetitive behaviors or stim in an attempt to self-calm.Sensory triggers (loud noises, being touched, smells).Common signs of an impending meltdown include: It’s important to recognize the signs of a meltdown before it occurs so that you can take steps to prevent it. How to Recognize the Signs of a Meltdown vs Tantrum It’s important to recognize that meltdowns are not intentional and that it’s the child’s way of coping with an overwhelming situation. Those will be discussed further in a future post. The types of sensory meltdowns that are commonly confused with tantrums are the types where a child acts out there are also sensory meltdowns that involve shutting down when they are overwhelmed. Meltdowns can look different for different people, but some common signs of a meltdown include: Children with sensory processing disorder and autism spectrum disorder can easily become overwhelmed by sensory information. It’s a response to being overwhelmed by sensory input. During a meltdown, an individual can experience intense emotions and difficulty controlling their behavior.

What is a Sensory Meltdown?Ī meltdown is a state of emotional or mental distress. We’ll discuss the differences between meltdowns and tantrums, and provide tips on how to recognize the signs and manage them when they occur. In this blog post, we’ll provide a guide for parents on how to handle meltdowns and tantrums and how to avoid them. This is especially true for parents with children on the autism spectrum or with sensory processing issues. It can be a seemingly overwhelming situation, and it can be hard to know how to recognize the signs of both, and how to manage them when they occur. As a parent, it can be difficult to know how to handle a sensory meltdown vs tantrum.

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