Help Stop The Meltdown With This Calm Down Toolbox- A Parent’s Guide To Helping Your Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder
There are no magic buttons to press to help your child with autism. However, as a parent, having a calm down toolbox that you can take with you where ever you go is the best solution I can give you.
Help prevent the meltdowns, or at least shorten them with these tips.
Picking Out Your Calm Down Tool Box Bag
First grab yourself a nice bag. This is something that is easy to carry with you where ever you go. Maybe you end up buying a larger purse, or maybe a book bag or tote is the best solution for your calm down toolbox. Here are some ideas of some bags that may work for you.
Filling Your Calm Down Tool Box With Calming Tools
Assemble your calm down tools.
(Is anyone else hearing Avenger Assemble in their head…no? OK, I guess it is just me.)
Does your child have a favorite toy, stuffed animal or object that usually always works to help sooth them when the world becomes too much for them? Children with autism spectrum disorder usually have an item they are attached to or a subject matter that they are engulfed in. Make sure this item is always in your calming toolbox! Some items that we have in our toolbox are as follows:
Sweet Snacks
His favorite stuffed animal
A coloring book and markers
This calming toolbox works wonders for my son who has Aspergers. If I see that he is over stimulated, I will help him find a calm and quiet location, then I will open the bag and place it in front of him.
Putting Your Calm Down Toolbox Into Action
I usually don’t say much. I don’t know about your child with Autism, but when my son is overwhelmed, the mere mention of him needing to calm down can send him into a tail spin and create a meltdown of epic proportions.
To avoid further agitation I just seamlessly find the calm location, open my calming toolbox and start fiddling with the objects. If I get protests against sitting down, I calmly explain that “Mommy needs to calm down.” Usually he responds well to my needs and will accommodate begrudgingly.
I may hand him his stuffed animal while I’m rummaging through the bag. I will take an object out and play with it for a few moments. If I notice that he is interest, then I will offer him the item. If not I will place it next to him and select another item. I continue doing this until he has chosen an item. Then I will grab myself a snack and drink and offer him the same.
An observer they may wonder why I am quietly digging in my bag while my son is melting down. I don’t care what those around me think. I know how to best calm my child, and talking is NOT the solution for him.
Offering hugs, providing him the tools he needs to calm his own meltdown, and removing him as best as I can from the stimulation is the best solution for him.
In the end, with enough guidance and patience, he will learn how to do this all on his own. Until then, I will carry this calming toolbox and help him learn to manage his meltdowns.
