Hi there,
I am gathering some research for a children's picture book following a little girl who is on the Autism spectrum who loses her favourite wellies that she wears all day, every day. When she discovers they are missing, it is put to her that she may have to wear some different shoes, which creates a very stressful situation for her due to the unexpected change. I would like to illustrate a scene where this overload of emotion creates a meltdown, something that may happen quite regularly for this character.
So my first question would be to any parents/guardians who have seen their young daughter going through a similar situation and how this may have looked. I would like to get this portrayal as accurate as possible. As someone who is myself an autistic woman, I know when I was younger I would internally meltdown, becoming very quiet and hiding, but am curious to know if other people have had different experiences.
My second question is then, how did you as a parent/guardian calm the situation down and help the child experiencing a meltdown? Talking through with the child how they are feeling at present to help regulate their emotions? Looking for people's experiences!
Thankyou very much,
Best, an Illustrator hoping to represent children who are neurodiverse.