Meltdowns are involuntary responses that autistic people have to stressful and overwhelming environments. Meltdowns usually happen when an autistic person feels like they cannot escape a stressful situation or cannot express their concerns.
While there is no cure for autism, some symptoms of autism can be managed with medication. If your doctor is recommending medication but you don’t know much about pharmaceuticals, you may feel unsure about how to handle this important decision.
Sensory processing difficulties commonly seen in autistic kids can include decreased pain recognition or an inability to use visual input information to assist with standing up-right. Similar to how communication and social impairments vary from mild to severe, autistic children process sensory information differently and over a range of severities.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy is the gold-standard treatment for autistic individuals. ABA uses scientifically derived principles to understand how environmental factors influence behavior, with the primary goal of promoting socially appropriate behaviors and reducing problem behaviors such as aggression, self-injurious behavior, elopement and/or disruptive behavior.
Sensory integration therapy works using the assumption that by doing tasks that require a lot of sensory processing, sensory systems and the brain will form a stronger connection. Having a stronger sensory system – brain connection will help children learn how to respond to different types of sensory stimulation in less extreme ways.