14/04/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ToP6EdSq9/
Some children and teens are not “acting out” - they are overwhelmed.
Autistic meltdowns are not tantrums. They are not attention seeking. They are not a choice. They happen when a child becomes so overwhelmed by noise, change, demands or emotions that their brain goes into crisis mode. At that point, they cannot reason, explain or “just calm down”.
Many autistic children/teens spend all day trying to cope - masking, holding it together, managing sensory overload, confusion, and stress. The meltdown is often what happens when there is nothing left in the tank.
Punishment, shouting or forcing eye contact does not teach anything in that moment. It only adds more pressure to an already overwhelmed child.
What helps is calm, space, reduced demands and feeling safe.
When we stop asking “what is wrong with this child?” and start asking “what has overwhelmed them?” everything changes.