Handling Sensory Meltdowns

We experience the world through our senses, namely, the sense of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. What happens when these senses don't make sense? They distort the way you experience the world.

Sensory processing issues fall under two categories - hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity. Hypersensitivity causes sensory overload. Imagine experiencing everything much more intensely than you do: imagine the clothes rubbing against your skin feeling like your skin is being scraped by sandpaper, imagine people chatting with each other sounding like they are shouting through loudspeakers, imagine the lights in the room feeling like floodlights blinding your eyes. It would be torture. In fact, such methods ARE used as means of torture around the world.

Remember this when your child is having a sensory meltdown. A sensory meltdown is NOT a temper tantrum. A child having a sensory meltdown is not in control of himself or his/her situation and needs to be cared for, NOT punished.

Here are some things you can do to help:

In public

• Keep calm
• Take your child to a less crowded area
• Place your child in your lap if he/she is small enough to do so
• Hug your child
• Envelope your child in your arms with his/her head tucked into your body
• Speak gently with your child in short sentences
• Don’t bombard your child with questions
• Cover your child's eyes and ears (It’s a good idea to carry an eye mask and ear plugs with you at all times)
• Ask your child to breathe in and out slowly and focus on his/her breathing
• Ask people to give you space and focus on your child

At home

• Keep calm
• Take your child to his/her room
• Don’t crowd the room. Ask other family members to your child space and stay out of the room.
• Reduce visual stimuli by switching off lights, closing curtains, wearing an eye mask, etc.
• Reduce auditory stimuli by stopping all activities that make noise, like the television, the mixer, the vacuum cleaner, etc. Give the child noise-cancelling headphones, earmuffs or ear plugs if the child is comfortable wearing them.
• Ask your child to sit or lie down in the bed
• Wrap your child in his/her favorite blanket
• Play soft music
• Talk soothingly to your child
• Give your child time to unwind before starting another activity

It is a good idea to take preventive measures to avoid a sensory meltdown from occurring in the first place. Here are some steps you can take to be prepared:

1. Identify your child's triggers
2. Identity what soothes your child
3. Create a calm-down pack containing things that help calm your child and carry it with you wherever you go
4. Keep your child informed so that he/she knows what to expect and is not taken by surprise
5. Have a plan of action in place so that YOU know what to do and are not taken by surprise

Have a meltdown-free day! 

Love,

Preeti

DISCLAIMER: Please note that I am neither a doctor, a therapist, or a special educator. I am the mother of a young man with special needs. Everything I write is based on my personal experiences with my son and should not be taken as or in place of professional advice.