#meltdowns

#meltdowns

Miscommunication Should Not Lead to Punishment Adults often perceive a cry for help from a neurodivergent kid as misbehavior. Whether it's a meltdown in the store, struggling to move onto another task, or shutting down when overwhelmed, neurodivergent kids are frequently labeled "disrespectful," "defiant," or "difficult." In reality, these behaviors are often a neurodivergent brain's way of asking for support. Neurodivergent kids aren't being difficult on purpose.

What exactly constitutes a meltdown? As Lorain Moorehead, an individual and family therapist, explains, a meltdown is, on some level, a child's expression of their opinion or preference. "Their body is dysregulated either because of their real or perceived need not being met, and they are communicating it with the tools they have available in the moment, which in the case of a meltdown might be tears, volume, or other means to return to a state of control," she says.