Autism Spectrum Children must have resources to help them stay calm. If you have a child with autism, you will know they are sometimes prone to express their feelings through temper tantrums and autism meltdowns.
These tantrums and meltdowns by Autism Spectrum children often occur when children have difficulty expressing their emotions or feel emotionally drained. Knowing why these behaviours arise can be the key to finding solutions that can adequately address them.
Here are some calm down strategies for kids that you can use when your child is expressing emotional overload, stress, tantrums or meltdowns:
Table of Contents
Self-Soothing Tools Autism Spectrum
Be sure to take along your child’s favourite self-soothing tool when leaving your home. This can be a sensory toy, weighted blanket, song, book or object of choice. Ensure that your child has easy access to this object so they can easily use it when feeling overwhelmed.
Preferred Sensory Activities for Autism Spectrum
Sensory activities are a great way to help your children express and process their emotions. This can include sensory bins, sensory jars, kinetic sand, water play, etc. Make a note of your child’s favourite sensory calming activities as they will be more engaged when doing an activity they like.
Designated Calm Down Corners for Autism Spectrum
Calming corners can be a safe space for your child to retreat to when they feel emotional overload. If your child calms down more when on their own, it’s best to give them space. If not, join them in their calm down corner and help them calm down. Add pillows, blankets, sensory tools, etc., to make them a calm down corner in a comfortable place.
Calming Breathing Exercises.
Breathing exercises are essential for relaxation as controlled breathing will help regulate your child’s heart rate, lower your blood pressure and relieve physical stress and anxiety. When your child starts exhibiting overwhelm, you may be able to help them calm down by sitting parallel to them and taking deep breaths with them. You can also make light physical contact with them, such as touching their hand, to help ground them.
Quiet Music or Calming Videos.
Your child will most likely have their favourite song or video, and these can be helpful tools when you are battling your child’s emotional overload. When your child is overwhelmed, something as simple as a song can help ground them and bring them back to a calm and relaxed state. Play or sing your child’s favourite song or video to help them calm their emotions.
Calm Down Games.
One of the best ways to combat negative emotions is to encourage positive emotions. While you shouldn’t ignore the cause of your child’s meltdown, games can be a great way to calm down once the trigger has been removed. There are several fun sensory games that you can use to help calm your child in no time.
These are just a few of the many ways to help your child calm down when they are experiencing tantrums or meltdowns. You must consider the circumstances that have caused the possible overwhelm and choose the appropriate strategies after dealing with the cause.
Speak with your child about the calm down strategies they prefer, give them choices and communicate regularly. Remember that your calming strategy will also adjust and hopefully become less important as your child learns self-soothing techniques. For more information on how to help a child with autism calm down, contact Autism Centre for Kids today.
