“Sometimes in a busy place, I may need to escape I am not being rude I m helping myself “: Tina J.Richardson
One of the biggest weaknesses a person can have is a loss of self-control.consequense of loose of self-control whole atmosphere air is affected. is When we push a child, especially one prone to anxiety and rigidity, their natural instinct is to dig their heels in and hold on tightly.it is much more common with a person with special needs. Maybe the action of expressing might be different from any other kid or a person but the level and the extent are much higher than any other kid or person. This means they may reach plight more quickly. Occasionally, this plight is visible through either “a meltdown or shutdown”. Each kid will experience differently and act differently.
What exactly is Meltdown?
During a meltdown, a child may show extreme behaviors like shouting, self-harm, aggressive behavior and repetitive behaviors, there may be a risk of harm to the person themselves or to others. Meltdowns can be very distressing for the person with autism, as well as the people supporting them. Other behaviors that may appear are less explosive but are equally common, such as refusing to interact, withdrawing from situations they find challenging, or avoiding them altogether. Parents, teachers caregivers need to understand the situation very closely and understand the situation. A meltdown is ‘fierce response to enormous situations’. When a child especially a young child is completely fierce in the situation, and their condition is difficult to express that inappropriate way, it is understandable that the result is a meltdown.
What could be the reasons for a meltdown!
Sudden abrupt changes (novel situations), Transitions( going somewhere without telling a child, shifting without telling him ), Sensory overload, Cognitive overload, 5. Being given too many choices at once, Vague or unclear instructions, and/or commands, Being asked open-ended questions that are too broad, Being forced to be in a prolonged stressful environment, Being in a stressful setting or situations without any calming tools, Being given an unrealistic task that exceeds capabilities or limitations, Going to or being the center of a surprise party, Crowded places and/or events and activities with a high noise level, Being rushed or hurried to do or finish something, sudden change of school, sudden guest arrival.
“Life always finds a way to survive and transform into harsh environments to live:
trees manage to grow and thrive on the sheer face of a mountain, the polar bear lives in the uninhabitable arctic region, the bend in the road is not the end of the road”.
Soo autistic individuals have found ways to “adapt and grow ” into a society that can be a harsh environment by engaging in intuitive “adaptations and live life,” but when these adaptations are difficult to digest, these inevitably unfavorably resolve itself through a meltdown.
Every meltdown is not a tantrum, tantrum is an alternative !!
Unlike meltdowns, tantrums are an adapted response. These are voluntary choices made by children to fulfill their demands by manipulating another individual through behaviors in order to achieve their desired wish. To truly understand whether the individual is melting down or just behaving badly throwing tantrums one must understand how the autistic mind properly as all children do not behave samely.
Unchecked tantrums can expand into aggressive behaviors towards others where the individual actually targets a specific person and then consciously decides to physically assault them.
In a meltdown, there will be an increase in the intensity of stimming behaviors(rocking, flapping hands, or flicking or snapping fingers, bouncing, jumping, or twirling) and physical manifestations of uncontrollable anxiety. In a tantrum, there may be outward physical movements such as kicking, screaming, flailing arms but they have controlled movements that are easily altered to achieve the desired reaction.
“A tantrum can develop into a meltdown if the individual gets extremely worked up, but a meltdown can never turn into a tantrum”.
Alarming Signs of Meltdown:
Crying, yelling,Headbanging and twitching is usually the commonest sign observed in autism.
INITIAL SIGNS
It may look like:
Survival signs
In survival mode, they will use skills to try and keep a meltdown from the beginning :
More controlling of their environment, Seek sensory input: repetitive actions, flip back on chairs, pacing, jumping on a trampoline Sleepy, stay completely still and become rigid, Unaware of others, crying unnecessarily, involuntary body movements, Runaway, climb, escape, hide (under the table, outside, etc).
Remember, a meltdown is an adapted Response of your child, which have many unanswered questions that you need to understand and answer it by analyzing each crisis of meltdown or tantrums!
“True transformations only come from sustainable strategies “ (Hillary Clinton)
In the previous blog, we have discussed broadly on self-regulation. There are some fun activities and strategies which are supportive of children who are lacking in self-regulation parent should understand the triggers by which they can overcome by performing simple tasks in day to day life. working on self-regulation skills doesn’t just happen overnight. Especially for those who struggle with them, these abilities must be working on and improved over time.
Let’s go!
“All kid needs a little help, a little hope , a little understanding lots of cooperation and someone who believes in them “
There are some fun games which I suggest parents can play in this lockdown with their children for not only self-regulation but building relationship and gross involvement of children working on their sensory needs :
Come let’s discuss rules!
All you need for this fun game are different colors of balloons and introduce them in which color belongs to you which color belongs to them and open space ( empty room). Use multicolored balloons. Call out the “off-limits color” and no one should tap any balloon of that color. Then switch colors! Children will have to listen for the auditory cue and inhibit impulses when the off-limits color comes closeby. Arrange yourself, your child, and family members in a circle and assign alternating to 2 teams (one person is team 1, the next person is team 2, the next person is team 1, and so forth).
Fill the circle with balloons. Call “Team 1!” The only member on team 1 should tap the balloons and the other team member says the color of ballon for banging.
Switch to Team 2, and the only member on Team 2 should tap the balloons. Continue switching on a 20-30 second interval. The children will really have to listen for the auditory cue and management of teamwork with the identification of colors to signify that it’s their team’s turn to tap and inhibit impulses when the off-limits color comes closeby.
Can kids wait quietly in their hiding spots while their friends try to find them make the proper zones to hide and tell your child where he can hide and make a noise a( simple clap) so that you and your child can search you easily? This activity helps him to adapt to the environment and make him more flexible.
Mirror Mirror On The Wall
Designate one child as the “leader” and place the children so that they are facing each other. The leader positions her body and asks the other child to mimic that position. For instance, the leader may put one hand on their head and one hand on their belly. Make position changes rapidly, maybe using a timer set at 30-second intervals to challenge the partner to act quickly and challenging the leader to respond to the timer to change.
The slow, controlled movements needed for Jenga are great for practicing self-control! Move too fast the tower will topple. Forget to pay attention to balance and the tower will come crashing down! Start with simple commands to pull one block simultaneously increase your commands children will have to slow down and focus on the task to play.
Freeze Dance
No materials needed for this game! In an open space, play music. Children will dance while the music plays, and when the music stops, students will freeze! Give him a command initially to understand after stopping the music the child has to stop If you want to add a layer of difficulty, freeze them strike a yoga pose.
Use visuals as reminders
Visual supports can be extremely helpful reminders to students about routines and activities in the home as well as in school
This is another game that doesn’t require any materials! Children and family members stand on one side of the space. The leader stands on the other side of the space. When the leader says, “Greenlight,” other team members may begin moving forward toward the counseling. When the leader says, “Red light,” others must freezeTell the rules of red and green light at the beginning of the game by showing the colors. Add a level of difficulty by changing the required movements – children could hop, crab walk, or bear crawl on a green light.
APP For Self Regulation
Here is a nice FREE app for little ones who needs some guidance with self-regulation and motor planning. I am attaching the link to the app you can download.
It is called Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame Street. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/breathe-think-do-with-sesame/id72185359
“Feel the feeling but don’t become the emotion. Witness it. Allow it. Realize it .”
Self-regulation is the ability to tolerate unfilled wants or needs, monitor, and manage emotions in different situations, regulate thoughts handle disappointments and failures, and work toward success. Self-regulation is essential for success in school, work, and life and to improve the quality of life. Self regulation encloses self-discipline, delay of gratification, the ability to think before acting, motor control, sustained attention, cognitive flexibility, and task persistence.
Self-regulation is important in that it allows you to act in accordance with your deeply held values or social conscience and to express yourself appropriately om desired conditions.
One important aspect that everyone should know about self-regulation is the successful integration of emotion (what a child feels) and cognition (what a child knows or can do) resulting in appropriate behavior according to the situation.
Some children unconsciously can self regulate without even realizing what they are doing; while other children require the assistance of an adult to identify that the child is not self-regulating and engage the child in an activity to help the child self regulate.
Research indicates that self-regulation in children is a predictor of academic abilities. Children with higher levels of self-regulation have achieved higher scores in reading, vocabulary, and math. In addition, some research has shown that the ability for young children to self regulate is associated with higher, future education levels.
If the child is facing self-regulation difficulties and not addressed by any medical professional the child might encounter anxiety, inappropriate behavior responses to a task, difficulty focusing during instructional learning, challenges with social skills, and difficulty coping with changes in daily routines, difficulties in integrating adapted responses as per the situation. Children who don’t learn to self-regulate usually have a harder time transitioning to school.
Those who are impulsive are more likely to become obese, more likely to smoke, more likely to become dependent on alcohol or drugs, and more likely to commit crimes. Poor self-regulation skills also contribute to truancy issues. When a child learns to tolerate some anxiety, the child will be much less reactive and regulate by himself. Self-regulation skills develop gradually, so it is important that adults hold developmentally appropriate expectations for children’s behavior.
“By being able to put a moment in between a feeling and an action, the child can take time to think, plan, and usually come up with an appropriate response to the current challenge.”
For example, if you are standing in a queue you will wait for your turn, wait in a line, follow respective norms learn to tolerate and manage on your own for proceeding next. These events are examples of the managing skills of self regulation by own .
“Self-regulation is not an end pointing in a child’s development, but a journey which has many pits to cross”
During the first years of life, caregivers are particularly the source of development. Young children are dependent upon their caregivers to create a safe, nurturing, and appropriately stimulating environment so they can learn about the world around them.
What does self-regulation look like in different stages of life?
In infancy: Shifting attention or averting gaze when overwhelmed Self-soothing by sucking fingers or a pacifier to reduce distress. During the first year, babies learn how it feels to have their needs met, and gradually learn to create that feeling (known as “self-soothing”) with less help from you. Through this maturation process, the baby learns ways to calm himself when upset.
In toddlerhood: During the toddler stage, children learn more about feelings and expressions, and begin to connect situations to emotions. Focusing attention for short periods, Adjusting behavior to achieve goals Beginning to label feelings, Briefly delaying gratification, Turning to adults for help with strong feelings. As children’s self-regulation and language skills develop develops at this stage, their temper tantrums and emotional outbursts often become more manageable and happen less often. They started understanding and expressing.
In preschool-aged children: Between the ages of 3 and 5, children begin to understand the relationship between their feelings and their behavior. This means that during these years, it is critical for parents and caregivers to help children identify and implement self-regulation strategies, such as practicing waiting and naming emotions. For parents of preschool children, this involves setting limits and expectations for behavior. Preschool-age children have greater control over their impulses, and they are starting to think before they act. Recognizing a growing array of feelings in self and others Identifying solutions to simple problems With support, using strategies like deep breaths and self-talk to calm down Focusing attention and persisting on difficult tasks for increased lengths of time Perspective-taking and early empathy has started developing in kids at this stage.
Parents and other caregivers are the foundations in the development of self-regulation :
There is a well-established link between parenting and the development of self-regulation in childhood which says that in a comprehensive literature review, parental warmth, responsiveness, and sensitivity support self-regulation development and may buffer the effects of other stressors in the family and environment. Parents are not the only caregivers shaping the lives of young children, however. Child care providers, preschool teachers, extended family members, and other adults who spend significant time caring for children can be instrumental in supporting their development of self-regulation. The link to an article has been attached below.
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