Almost every parent of an autistic child has reached the realization that meltdowns are a part of our daily lives. Our children cannot cope with the world around them, and therefore their only way to communicate their dislike of things going on around them or happening to them is to have a meltdown.
These meltdowns can take a long period of time to move past, and can also be a bit embarrassing. No one likes the looks and comments you get when your child has a meltdown in public. Most just assume your child is bad or your parenting is. They don't understand that your child is simply trying to communicate.
No to worry though, there are ways that you can do to minimize meltdowns.
The first step is to understand the root cause of the meltdown. Think of all the things going on in a grocery store that can bombard their senses and throw them into overload. Bright lights, lots of people, lots of noise and just a general overloading of senses. All of this can be too much for us, never mind our sensitive children.
One way to prevent the meltdowns is to make sure you go to the store during it's least busy time. Ask the manager what the slow or quieter hours for the store are and shop during them.
You can also try shopping at smaller stores, which are less likely to have so much chaos going on in them. The sensory bombardment may be less at a smaller store, then it is at the larger superstores.
Give your child a chance to block everything out. Give them noise reduction headphones, or a head set playing some quiet calming music. Or give them something they can do to keep their minds off of everything that is going on around them.
Treat them. Explain to them if they make it through the shopping trip without a meltdown they can get their pick or toy, or candy at the end of it all.
An obvious, although not always practical solution is to not to bring them with you. This can help prevent the meltdowns altogether and allow you to get the shopping done quickly, without incidence.
We have to accept the likelihood of meltdowns on any outing outside our homes, but we can also do our part to minimize the meltdowns and outbursts our autistic children have. The world can overload their senses, but there are things we can do to help them, and ourselves in the process.
Raising an autistic child can be difficult and rewarding. For more tips, click here!
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