Lisa Barrett Mann, M.S.Ed. 

Asperger Syndrome and Meltdowns 

Many children with Asperger syndrome and similar neurodevelopmental disorders experience rages—tantrums that can be especially long, loud, sometimes violent, and appearing to be totally out of proportion to the circumstance that prompts them.

These meltdowns almost always occur in response to something that overwhelms the child—e.g., a sensory issue, a demand for more flexibility than he is able to produce, a task that seems too hard, long, or “pointless.”

We believe in addressing meltdowns/rages with a two-pronged approach. First, a functional behavior analysis (FBA) can pinpoint the triggers and warning signs for the meltdowns, allowing immediate, preventive measures to be put in place. Once the child is no longer in crisis,  longer-term interventions such as cognitive-behavioral modification can address the underlying cause.

Children typically display "rumbling signs" before they go into full-blown meltdowns--but adults often miss them.