Fool-Proof Ways to Manage Temper Tantrums and Meltdowns: Helping Parents Cope

Course Description: Children with special needs are prone to meltdowns and tantrums for a variety of reasons. It maybe due to immature sensory processing; they may feel overloaded with sensations. Motor planning issues can cause inflexible and black-and-white thinking. Compromised language impacts on their ability to grasp temporal concepts like “later” or “tomorrow,” interpret cues for when activities are being changed and impairs their sequencing skills. Therefore, struggles will ensue during transitions (moving from one activity to another) and when their needs are postponed or temporarily withdrawn. This causes them to move into fight/flight, freeze, or defensive rage, a “sensory collapse” (Naish, 2018). Furthermore, children with SN may be triggered more quickly than normally developing children. Their reactions may be far more intense, and they may take longer to calm down. Skills and techniques are needed to help parents and professionals prevent and manage these episodes.