Regarding Autistic Meltdowns: What They Are, How to Handle Them, and Why Kids Having Meltdowns are NOT Naughty Brats
Where do I even begin with this one? I’m sure that many of my followers already know that I have Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, from reading two of my previous articles: one where I debunk myths about autism, and one where I explain the hardships I faced when growing up with autism and how I overcame such hardships. If you haven’t already seen those articles, you can find them here: https://untamesaluki.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/experiences-of-an-aspie-blogger-4-reasons-why-being-an-aspie-child-sucks-and-why-it-gets-better-in-adulthood/ and here: https://untamesaluki.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/experiences-of-an-autistic-blogger-myths-about-autism-and-why-theyre-bs/ Some readers won’t even know what the hell I mean by “autistic meltdowns.” In terms of autism, a meltdown is a period of time where a child (sometimes even an adult) with autism has a strong, negative emotional reaction to stimuli. A stereotypical meltdown is hard to miss–basically, it’s when the child appears to be throwing a tantrum. The most obvious outward behaviors are thrashing about, screaming, crying, stomping, and flailing her arms about. Most neurotypicals (an actual term for people without autism, for those of you not close to the autism community) don’t like meltdowns. They’re loud. They’re obnoxious. And for god’s sake, you’re trying to enjoy a romantic meal or a walk in the arboretum. We get it. But meltdowns aren’t any more fun for us than they are for you, and if we could help it, we would. When we’re melting down, we’re not just looking for attention or trying to get on your nerves. Fortunately, as an adult, I rarely ever have meltdowns anymore. When I do have meltdowns, or if I feel one coming on, I developed methods and tools in order to calm myself down. I’m hoping that as I get older, I’ll eventually stop having meltdowns altogether, or at least get even better at managing them, so that I don’t have such outrageous reactions. In order to be able to fully explain a meltdown, I must first talk about how autism biologically manifests itself in the brain.
The truth is, there are very few, if any, structural differences between an autistic brain and a neurotypical one. An autistic brain is about the same size as a neurotypical brain, and in pictures, it’s hard to see any differences. However, a scan of the activity of the brain reveals the main anatomical difference between one with autism and one without: the electrical activity isn’t the same.
The shocking fact (terrible pun absolutely intended) is that the brain of a person with autism has much more electrical activity than a normal brain. One of the results of this is that it’s easy to overstimulate such a brain. The autism community often talks about “sensory overload.” The mind of a person with autism can simply shut down because the sights, sounds, smells, and even textures of certain things combined are just too much to process. It’s also entirely possible for a child with autism to have a meltdown due to being emotionally overwhelmed. In my case, meltdowns usually happen when I feel a powerful sense of sadness, anger, or even guilt. That is the cause of a meltdown: the person is overwhelmed, either due to strong emotion or too much sensory input. As I said before, an Aspie having a meltdown is not trying to piss you off. She’s instead having an extreme emotional and physical reaction to something that is genuinely devastating her brain. Unfortunately, when faced with an autistic child having a meltdown, many parents, teachers, and similar figures will reprimand or punish the child, because they think that the child is just misbehaving. A meltdown is more complicated than that. Meltdowns are every bit as painful for us to experience as they are for you to listen to–if not maybe even more so. It’s not healthy or ideal to punish an autistic child having a meltdown. There’s a three-letter word that teachers and parents often throw around when dealing with autistic children.
That word is “bad.” It can be hard for some people to believe that a shrieking toddler isn’t “bad,” but it’s not. What exactly does the word “bad” mean? “Bad” is a subjective term. The dictionary lists many definitions for the word “bad.” In the way it’s used to describe a person, dictionary.com defines bad as “having a wicked or evil character; morally reprehensible.” Does having a meltdown really make someone “morally reprehensible?” Is it a sign that they have “a wicked or evil character?” Some people may interpret that definition in ways different than I would, but I consider a “bad” person to be someone who deliberately causes pain to others, either because they benefit financially/gain power (politicians lying to get more votes, puppy mills over-breeding for profit, big corporations shutting down US factories and saving money by taking advantage of impoverished people in developing countries) or simply because they derive pleasure from such actions (setting up a cock fighting ring for entertainment, raping someone for sexual pleasure, a serial killer chopping up body parts for enjoyment.) An autistic child having a meltdown doesn’t fit into either category.
So, what does a meltdown feel like?
“Meltdown” is a pretty apt term, because it feels something like this:
As melodramatic as it sounds, whenever a person with autism has a meltdown, it feels like the apocalypse. It’s the overwhelming feeling that death is upon us all, or at least me. It’s as if the gods have written some kind of horrible fate for me to just be consumed by fiery anger or black sadness. It feels like being lost, abandoned, or in a train wreck. The first stage of a meltdown is when the emotional tide is coming in, washing over me, and I feel as though I am drowning. I swim against the current, but it’s too strong, and my efforts are futile. It may appear to be that the meltdown was caused by something stupid, like someone yelling at me or my medication missing, but it’s actually a combination of the event that seemed to cause it and other things earlier in the day that have stressed me out, up to that moment, until I reach my breaking point. That’s why most of my meltdowns take place at night or in the late afternoon. Then, my body heats up. My face and arms turn red, because my blood flow is becoming heavy. As if I actually was drowning, like in my passage above, my breathing becomes rapid and shallow. Then the tears arrive. My heart will beat rapidly and so hard that I almost feel like my pulse is actually moving my body, and it actually feels like my heart might rupture. Sometimes I experience heart palpitations, where I almost feel as if my heart stops, squeezes really hard but isn’t really beating, and then restarts. My muscles begin to shake uncontrollably. During a particularly bad meltdown, I might feel dizzy, nauseous, or get a headache. The day after having a meltdown, I will usually wake up with muscles still tense, especially if the meltdown took place at night, kind of like how your muscles might feel sore, stiff, or tight after a long workout or period of high stress. When the meltdown is over, I have reduced feelings of happiness. I’m usually quite a happy person. After a meltdown, however, I usually feel so-so, but leaning more on the unhappy side. I will feel drained of energy; having a meltdown sucks a lot of energy out if you, and it takes time to recharge. Post-meltdown, I feel embarrassed and ashamed. Well, how does an authority figure dealing with an Aspie, or someone who’s an Aspie herself, handle a meltdown? The good news is that I have tips for those on both sides of the meltdown.
For Neurotypical Parents/Teachers:
Don’t punish or yell at the child.
The worst thing you can do when faced with an autistic meltdown is punish the child. It may seem ridiculous to suggest that the child shouldn’t be punished, but in actuality, he’s not doing anything wrong. Punishing the child will only damage his self-esteem by causing him to think that when he’s dealing with something he can’t understand and doesn’t know how to cope with, he’s being bad. Then, you end up with a child who thinks that something is wrong with him.
Don’t comfort the child–keep Pavlovian Conditioning in mind.
This may seem to conflict with the previous tip. “First you’re telling me I’m not allowed to spank my kid, yell at my kid, or lock my kid in a closet, and now you’re saying that I can’t give him a nice hug and a ‘There, there, it’ll be okay’”? You have to keep in mind Pavlovian conditioning. The goal is to reduce the number of meltdowns the child has, as well as to help the child find ways to handle meltdowns. Comforting the child actually reinforces the behaviors you want to get rid of.
Keep your vocabulary varied.
Pavlovian conditioning is also a reason to keep your vocabulary varied. If you keep using the same words and phrases when dealing with the child, eventually she’ll learn to associate those words and phrases with meltdowns, to the point where hearing them not only stress her out and make her uncomfortable, but may even trigger meltdowns. In my case, there are certain words and phrases that family members, peers, and teachers commonly used whenever I had meltdowns that sometimes stress me out, and if I’m already stressed enough, can cause meltdowns. Such phrases include “let it go,” “shut up,” “shut your mouth,” “don’t start,” “behave yourself,” and “control yourself.” Raised voices also make me nervous.
Give pet therapy a go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9j613Np6OM
In my opinion, animals are better than humans. There’s a reason why hospitals, nursing homes, and other services hire therapy animals. Even the nicest human in the world is less compassionate and more judgmental than pets. I went to a school for kids with Asperger’s, and they had therapy dogs. I enjoyed playing and interacting with the dogs. I linked a video of a dog helping an autistic woman through a meltdown. Of course, dogs are a lot of work and aren’t for everyone. Good news! There are lots of other kinds of animals used for similar purposes. I’ve read about therapy cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses, goats, donkeys, and even llamas. You can also create a nice, scenic fish tank. Although your child can’t necessarily interact with fish the same way he can interact with a dog or cat, simply looking at beautiful, colorful fish swimming around in their aquarium without a care in the world can be comforting and therapeutic.
Find a therapist.
Preferably, find a therapist experienced with autism and Asperger’s. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is particularly effective. CBT teaches the client to alter the pattern of their thoughts, and consequently, their behavior, in order to get himself into an ideal mental state.
For Autistics Plagued with Meltdowns
If you can, get away from others as soon as you feel a meltdown coming on.
Meltdowns are a phenomenon that most people don’t understand. To the layman, it looks like you’re just freaking out over something silly, but it’s much more complicated than that. The last thing you need when having a meltdown is someone yelling obscenities at you, telling you to grow up, or laughing at you. If you can, get away from the people around you as soon as you can.
Talk to someone you trust.
Of course, the whole world isn’t against you. Find someone you really trust–a family member, a friend, a coworker, or anyone you have a close relationship with who will understand and not be rude about it. Sometimes, just venting and having a pair of ears to listen is all the help you need. In the section with advice for neurotypical parents and teachers, I also mentioned pet therapy. If you have the time and money to do so, consider going to your local animal shelter and adopting a new best friend who will offer you nonjudgmental support that no human will ever give you.
Develop a sense of humor about it.
This is much easier said than done, but I promise you that it’s worth the effort. “Yeah, I have autistic meltdowns. Your ass looks fat in those jeans, and poor old Amal can’t catch a break because people won’t leave her alone since she married George. We all have problems.”
Find a distraction.
Read a book. Watch TV. Listen to music. Take a walk–along with a distraction, exercise is a good way to reduce stress. Something humorous might put you in a better mood. Instead of reading the Warriors series, read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Instead of watching the news, watch South Park. Instead of listening to Guns n Roses, listen to Weird Al Yankovic.
Express yourself.
Taking advantage of your creative talents are an excellent way to let out some steam and show the world how you really feel. Are you a musician? Write a song. Are you an artist? Paint a picture. Many of my darker poems and even parts of my novel were written when I was in the midst of a meltdown. I even wrote a poem about autistic meltdowns.
Understand that it’s not your fault.
In a society that looks down on people with autism and tries to discipline children for having meltdowns, it’s too easy to fall into the trap of shame. Too many people with autism, myself included, have struggled with the notion authority figures plant in our heads from an early age: “Your behavior is bad and you should feel bad.” You have to remember that your behavior is caused simply by being overwhelmed, and there are ways to control it.
Show Off Your Rainbow Stripes, America!
Today is a historic day. The US Supreme Court has officially voted for gay marriage to be legalized across the US. Would you like your Facebook profile to be rainbow-fied?
Just go to facebook.com/celebratepride and watch the magic happen. Like my rainbow-fied FB profile of me wearing my Star Trek Jacket and making a Vulcan salute at the camera:
Also, check out these rainbow-fied company logos: http://www.thegailygrind.com/2015/06/26/heres-how-your-favorite-brands-are-reacting-to-todays-historic-gay-marriage-decision/
My heart is rainbow-striped today.
Five Weird Ways to Relieve a Stuffy Nose
Well, it’s the first day of summer. This month, I was going to write an article about the characters in my novel, but then I got a cold last week (don’t worry, I’m better now.) That inspired me to make a list of unusual ways to clear a stuffy nose.
1. Induce a sneeze
Do remember that making yourself sneeze is probably the most temporary thing on this list. However, it can help get rid of irritants, pathogens, and mucus in your nose. Plus, it feels good. Here are some interesting ways to induce a sneeze: http://lethow.com/health/make-yourself-sneeze/
2. Irrigate your sinuses
It may seem a little gross, but you can go to your local pharmacy and buy nasal spray. Make sure you use this stuff over a sink or a bathtub. Tilt your head to about a 45 degree angle, spray this stuff in one nostril, and let it flow out the other nostril. It provides temporary relief for a stuffy nose, and it also flushes pathogens and allergens out of your sinuses, which could help you get better faster. Just be aware: some nasal sprays are addictive.
3. Hold your breath
I’ve tried this before when I had a cold, and it actually works. I held my breath for about forty-five seconds, for a short amount of time, my nose cleared up. Of course, doing this too much kind of defeats the purpose of trying to clear your nose: so you can breathe. Anyway, if you hold your breath for as long as you can, it’ll provide temporary relief for a stuffy nose. Don’t worry about making yourself suffocate: it’s scientifically impossible to do that, because your brain will naturally make your body take a breath if you hold your breath for too long. Basically, when you hold your breath, your brain realizes that your body is not getting enough oxygen, and it clears up your sinuses for you.
4. You can’t smell yourself, but others can smell you
Try taking a hot shower or bath. Not only does it feel great, but breathing in hot, humid air actually helps clear sinuses. At the same time, the warm air helps to kill the pathogens that may be causing your stuffy nose. Alternatively, you could also use a humidifier. It may not work as strongly, but will provide longer-term relief.
5. The Magical Power of Your Own Hands
Maybe there’s a placebo effect going on, but I’ve tried acupressure, and it works relatively well on me. However, different peoples’ bodies respond differently to such treatments, and your results may vary. Anyway, pressing the joint between your thumb and forefinger for a couple of minutes may actually reduce any irritation in your nose. You can also massage the area between your eye sockets and your nose for five minutes. These are only a couple of acupressure points to help relieve sinus congestion. More can be found here: http://www.modernreflexology.com/curing-nasal-congestion-with-acupressure-points/
Happy breathing!
Best Father’s Day Gifts Ever
You could just get your dad a card or a tie tomorrow. Or, you could give him…
Chillsner
All you have to do is put the Chillsner in the soda or alcoholic beverage, and it cools off the drink for you. Your dad can drink his beer and cool it, too.
Pat Lafrieda–Meat: Everything You Need To Know
If your dad is anything like my dad, he’ll eat this book up. This book contains lots of useful information for the carnivorous foodie, such as recipes, meatpacking stories, and some helpful hints on how to prepare various kinds of meat, such as poultry, veal, and even lamb.
Hibiki
For the fine drink aficionado. This award-winning Japanese brand is fruity with a woody taste mixed in.
Le Labo Discovery Set
Does your dad not like to smell bad? (For the love of God, I hope so.) This “discovery set” of colognes offers five different scents that he can choose each morning depending on his mood.
Brooklyn Brew Shop Beer-Making Kit
The article where I found this item (and some of the other items I listed) is from askmen.com, who described the beer that this kit makes as “bitter” and “earthy,” so make sure that’s how your dad likes his beer before giving this to him. This kit contains the necessities for your dad to make his own beer, along with a set of instructions on how to do it.
Hunting Camp Deep Exfoliating Soap
This soap can be purchased at the Portland General Store. This soap contains sandalwood powder to help slough off dead skin cells, as well as natural oils that are good for nourishing skin. At the same time, it’s rough stuff, also containing pumice.
Make Your Own Phaidon Cookbook Set
If your dad is a chef, he will love this cookbook set. He can even go multicultural, because this set includes a cookbook for Thai food, as well as one for Mexican food.
Sedum Terrarium
Is your dad a gardener? An ecologist? A botanist? Or does he just like the idea of having a mini plant set in a bottle that he can use as a decoration? This kit contains everything needed to create a tiny yard in a bottle. It has not only the seeds and the dirt, but also pebbles that you can lay out. On top of all that, once it’s complete, it requires very little upkeep–just an occasional misting to make sure it gets its water
Funky Chunky Chip-Zel-Pop
This kickass snack mix contains potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn drizzled with chocolate and caramel. On top of that, the ingredients are all natural, it’s free of high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, and the popcorn is non-GMO. Delicious and nutritious!
60’s Candy Capsule
I know, I know. A lot of this candy can just be bought at a local store, but this “candy capsule” will bring your dad back to the good ol’ days of the 1960s, era of hippies, The Beatles, and nationwide revolutions. For the younger dad, there is also a 70’s Candy Capsule, 80’s Candy Capsule. There’s even a 90’s Candy Capsule for the millennial dad.
Neuhaus Liquor Chocolate
I kid you not. These are Belgian chocolates actually filled with whisky, vodka, and rum. This is basically the ultimate edible dad gift.
Toodaloo Potty Perfume
This is deodorizing spray that you spray in the toilet bowl before going to the bathroom to avoid the embarrassment of someone else walking into the bathroom later and finding out what your insides smell like. It comes in three scents–Fragrant Disregard (white tea lemongrass) Deux Not Disturb (cashmere woods) and Scent and Sensibility (honeysuckle freesia.) But please, if you get this for your dad, do him a favor and give it to him in private. Don’t make him open this up in front of guests–then he’ll be even more embarrassed.
OCD Hand Sanitizer
OCD hand sanitizer from BlueQ. Enough said.
Unbasket Gift Baskets
Although I mentioned this item in a previous post here: https://untamesaluki.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/the-most-awesome-holiday-gifts-you-could-buy-for-people/ I believe that it deserves a mention on this list. There are so many themes of these awesome and creative gift baskets, including a bacon-themed one, a pickle-themed one, and even one that’s Star Wars-themed.
Now, I just have one more message to all dads out there:
Five Most Idiotic Darwin Awards Ever
A Darwin Award is given to anyone who is either killed or sterilized through a dumb act. Some of them (well, most of them) are incredibly ridiculous, like…
5. The Phantom Planker
Planking is an internet meme that has (thankfully) gone extinct for the most part. It involves stretching the body and lying down in a prone position in a weird (and sometimes questionable) location, as demonstrated in this random picture of a guy planking on two dromedary camels. In 2011, an Australian gentleman in his twenties tried planking on a high railing, and fell seven stories. The impact of hitting the ground tragically killed him.
4. Summer Fall
If this isn’t a cautionary tale about waiting patiently, I don’t know what is. This event took place in August 2010 in South Korea. A middle-aged man who happened to be handicapped became enraged that the elevator left him behind, and his reaction was to continuously ram his wheelchair against the door. The man got his wish regarding the opening of the doors…and he fell to his death down the elevator shaft.
3. Fired
Two American men staffing a sprint car event had a “bright” (sorry) idea to pour four gallons of menthol in a barrel, sit on top of it, and light it on fire. Although they thought they’d get an amusing ride, the barrel predictably exploded. Both men were hospitalized, but one died while in the hospital.
2. Handle With Care
Two Finnish brothers had a rather unorthodox hobby, which was weapon collecting. They collected guns, grenades, fusing material, and ammunition, which I suppose would be fine if they had actually been trained how to handle them. That’s right: they were in possession of weapons that they didn’t even know how to handle! One day, the older brother was attempting to disarm a large grenade. Instead, however, he accidentally detonated it, killing himself and seriously injuring his little brother.
1. Water on the brain
This is the dumbest one that I could find, and I’ll admit that I found it while actively looking for a female Darwin Awardee, so as not to discriminate against men. In 2009, a North Carolina woman decided to take her moped to her local convenience store despite a severe rainstorm that was stranding cars. Her local highway patrol cut of many roads in her town, including her home street. She passed the barriers, but lost control of the moped and fell into the creek. An officer rescued her and tried to interview her; however, when he called for backup, she jumped back into the creek to retrieve the moped. Instead, the creek (and the Grim Reaper) retrieved her.
Meet Lucy
Last weekend, my brother brought in a new puppy named Lucy. She is an eight-month-old Lab/Border Collie mix my brother rescued from an owner who was neglecting her. She’s an escape artist, though, and already got out twice, so she can’t go outside without someone to watch her. In that first picture, that’s Oreo, my dad’s Labradoodle, in the background. 
Green Grass…Round My Window
Today is the first day of spring. Well, not so much in my area; as I write this ironic post, I’m looking at the snow falling outside my bedroom window collecting on my lawn and on the red Japanese maple. Anyway, I thought I’d share one of my favorite songs for this time of year. Yes, I know, I’m a twenty-year-old woman listening to music enjoyed by eighty-year-old men.
Go Green on St. Patrick’s Day: Five Crazy Ways to Help the Environment
n fact: if you ever go to Mars, you can never come back to Earth. Once your body adapts to the environment of Mars, it can no longer survive on Earth. I’m assuming the same would happen with any other planet that you could live on, and even so, it doesn’t seem that human beings will be able to settle on other planets any time in the near future. Unless the government is covering something up (cue the “crap, she’s onto us!” from all the undercover agents reading this.) That’s why we need to find ways to preserve our planet, and sometimes we’ll need to get creative. Case in point…
1. Peeing in the shower
I know it’s yucky, but every time you flush, you use about a gallon of water with a new toilet, and between three and seven gallons with an older toilet. You can save water by “letting the yellow mellow,” or simply by peeing in your shower.
2. Put “science” in your will
Thanks to science, we can convert cadavers into a liquid fertilizer through a process called “alkaline hydrolysis.” Pretty neat…until you remember that there’s a possibility that the fruit salad you’re chowing down on may contain traces of fertilizer made from dead people.
3. Patty power
Cows are infamous for producing a lot of methane. Methane is the same stuff that is often used to produce energy. Therefore, it’s not a load of bullshit (terrible pun absolutely intended) to say that cow methane can be put to use as energy, which would mean less methane in the atmosphere. There are already plans to convert cow waste into energy.
4. Watch NSFW Material
“Fuck for Forest” is an organization that shows pornographic material. Members have to pay for it, and some of the money goes toward preserving the rain forest.
5. Buy some creepy crawlies
If earthworms eat old pieces of garbage food, like apple cores, they can help turn them into compost that you can then use for your garden. You can also just put earthworms in your garden. The tiny holes that they dig in soil help nutrients and water get into the soil to nourish your plants, and they also excrete nutrient-rich waste. Aside from earthworms, there are other creepy crawlies for your garden: instead of spraying pesticides, you can get spiders, ladybugs, and praying mantises which will control the population of plant-destroying insects in your garden. As a bonus, ladybugs and mantises are beautiful insects.
Untame Saluki 