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Meltdown or Tantrum ASD child

Purple2486
9 months ago

Hi All,. 

I am trying to understand whether my son is having a (asd) meltdown or Tantrum. He is 9 so wonder if that's too old for a Tantrum. 

I have looked at various recourses online and most seem to contradict each other high makes things even more confusing. 

The following scenarios are where I get unsure. 

1. I will ask my son to take some time off his tablet ( most times with prior warning / sometimes without. 

2. My son will lose a game he has put allot of effort into. 

3. I tell my son not to do something ( that it's not the appropriate behaviour 

4. I ask my son to help out with small things in the home, tidy his room, pick up toys etc. 

In all of the above scenarios he has ended up laying on the floor, not crying but making a whining noise that can go on for up to 1 hour.  During this time me talking to him makes it worse, he doesn't want comfort or any calming strategies. 

Any thoughts or views on which one the above could be? 

Also wondering can it start out as a tantrum then turn into a meltdown? 

Parents
  • 9 months ago
    Purple2486 said:
    Also wondering can it start out as a tantrum then turn into a meltdown? 

    I would think so

    I have trouble knowing the difference between tantrums and meltdowns myself, but my guess is any situation could be a meltdown or a tantrum for the same thing. Like telling him to get off his tablet, I could see it being a tantrum but also I could see it being a meltdown if he maybe wanted more time but couldnt explain then it triggered a meltdown or something along those lines. I think meltdowns are from being overwhelmed whether that be from stimuli or emotions, while a tantrum is to get something you want (I could be wrong).

    This is on google if this helps: "One benchmark many parents use is that a tantrum is likely to subside if no one is paying attention to it. This is opposed to a meltdown, during which a child loses control so completely that the behavior only stops when they wear themselves out and/or the parent is able to calm them down."

Reply
  • 9 months ago
    Purple2486 said:
    Also wondering can it start out as a tantrum then turn into a meltdown? 

    I would think so

    I have trouble knowing the difference between tantrums and meltdowns myself, but my guess is any situation could be a meltdown or a tantrum for the same thing. Like telling him to get off his tablet, I could see it being a tantrum but also I could see it being a meltdown if he maybe wanted more time but couldnt explain then it triggered a meltdown or something along those lines. I think meltdowns are from being overwhelmed whether that be from stimuli or emotions, while a tantrum is to get something you want (I could be wrong).

    This is on google if this helps: "One benchmark many parents use is that a tantrum is likely to subside if no one is paying attention to it. This is opposed to a meltdown, during which a child loses control so completely that the behavior only stops when they wear themselves out and/or the parent is able to calm them down."

Children
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