Autism Meltdowns: Not Just
a Tantrum, Part 1

Autism Meltdowns: Not Just a Tantrum, Part 1

What is an autism meltdown?

A meltdown is an intense reaction to sensory overload. Meltdowns happen when autistic children and teenagers feel completely overwhelmed and lose control of their behaviour.

During a meltdown, the child cannot express their feelings in any other way, resulting in verbal outbursts like shouting or screaming, or physical actions like kicking, biting, or hitting.

Children and teenagers experiencing meltdowns often feel physical sensations such as tension, difficulty breathing, heat, and blurry vision.

Difference between meltdowns and temper tantrums

Meltdowns and tantrums may look similar, but they are very different.

A meltdown is not bad or naughty behaviour; it happens when an autistic child is completely overwhelmed and loses control. This is different from a tantrum, which usually happens when a child cannot get what they want.

Key differences

	Meltdowns	Tantrums
Causes	Caused by sensory overload or feeling overwhelmed. They are beyond the child’s control.	Usually happens because the child is frustrated from not getting what they want and/or not able to communicate.
Behaviour	Involves intense reactions like yelling, crying, hitting, or withdrawing. These reactions are not aimed at achieving a specific goal.	Involves crying, yelling, or throwing a fit to get something like a toy or attention.
Control	The child cannot control their behaviour during a meltdown. It is a response to being overwhelmed.	The child is often aware of their actions and may stop if they get what they want or if the behaviour is ignored.
Audience	Meltdowns occur regardless of an audience.	Tantrums often stop when the child gets what they want or if they are ignored.
Responding to meltdowns and tantrums	Require a different approach. Typical strategies like comfort or distraction may not help and could make things worse. Recognising triggers such as sensory, emotional, or informational overload can help in managing these situations.	Can often be managed by comforting the child, giving them what they want (not always ideal), or ignoring the behaviour until they stop.

	Meltdowns	Tantrums
Causes	Caused by sensory overload or feeling overwhelmed. They are beyond the child’s control.	Usually happens because the child is frustrated from not getting what they want and/or not able to communicate.
Behaviour	Involves intense reactions like yelling, crying, hitting, or withdrawing. These reactions are not aimed at achieving a specific goal.	Involves crying, yelling, or throwing a fit to get something like a toy or attention.
Control	The child cannot control their behaviour during a meltdown. It is a response to being overwhelmed.	The child is often aware of their actions and may stop if they get what they want or if the behaviour is ignored.
Audience	Meltdowns occur regardless of an audience.	Tantrums often stop when the child gets what they want or if they are ignored.
Responding to meltdowns and tantrums	Require a different approach. Typical strategies like comfort or distraction may not help and could make things worse. Recognising triggers such as sensory, emotional, or informational overload can help in managing these situations.	Can often be managed by comforting the child, giving them what they want (not always ideal), or ignoring the behaviour until they stop.

Causes of meltdowns

Meltdowns can be triggered by various underlying issues. By identifying and addressing these triggers, you can help prevent meltdowns and support your child more effectively.

You and your child can create a list of situations that often lead to feeling overwhelmed. These might include:

Changes in routine: For example, taking a different route to school.
Sensory overstimulation: Sudden loud noises, bright lights or crowded, noisy places.
Social occasions: Parties or large gatherings.
Communication difficulties: Times when your child struggles to express themselves.

Other common causes of meltdowns include learning issues, where frustration from learning disorders can be a trigger, and anxiety, which is a major factor when children feel overwhelmed in uncomfortable situations. Children who lack the skills to handle certain situations or emotions may also have more meltdowns.

Meltdowns can result from a build-up of many small but stressful events. Keeping a diary to record what happens before a meltdown can help you identify patterns and triggers.

What do meltdowns look like?

Meltdowns can look different in each autistic person. Some might withdraw, zone out, stare into space, or engage in repetitive movements. Others may cry uncontrollably, scream, growl, bite, or curl up into a ball.

Before a meltdown, many autistic individuals show signs of distress, known as the “rumble state.” These signs can include refusing to interact or withdrawing from challenging situations.

Meltdowns can be caused by overstimulation or undesirable sensory input and can happen to children, teenagers, and adults.

To calm themselves, an autistic person may:

Pace
Ask repetitive questions to seek reassurance
Rock back and forth
Become very still

At this stage, there may still be a chance to prevent a meltdown. Recognising and addressing these behaviours early can help manage and prevent meltdowns.