Meltdowns or Tantrums are inappropriate behaviors the child engages in to get something the child wants, to escape a benign situation the child doesn’t like (such as being told that play time is over), or both.

Examples include flailing on the floor, crying with or without tears, screaming, throwing objects, and can also include aggression, self-injurious behaviors, and/or bolting. We generally use the label of meltdowns (“tantrums”) when these behaviors occur in a cluster – two or more occurring at the same time. Giving in to what the child wants during a meltdown is a surefire way to make meltdown worse and to occur more often in the future. Parents are first taught how to safely “wait out” a meltdown and how to appropriately redirect the child.

Teaching the child how to appropriately request items/activities the child wants and does not want, and teaching parents how to reinforce this appropriate communication will lessen the child’s need to use meltdown to get wants and needs met. Building functional communication skills and consistency in application of behavioral strategies are key when dealing with meltdown behavior.

The downloadable data sheet below helps you to track the frequency of a specific behavior: 

ABC data collection

  Behavior frequency data sheet

Glossary

In addition, the below tips might be useful:

  10 Therapist-approved tips for managing a meltdown

Self-injurious behavior is defined as self-aggression and other acts of harm against self. Examples include biting one’s own hand, hitting self in the head, self-cutting, and crashing one’s body into furniture or other objects. Self-injurious behavior often has a sensory component and many children engage in it when they feel overwhelmed and cannot communicate those feelings or sensory needs appropriately.

This behavior is often rapidly “shaped up”, meaning that it can occur more intensely and more often in a relatively short period of time because a parent naturally does not want to see the child hurt. The parent may “give in” to the child out of fear, and pay extra attention to the child to stop the self-aggression at that point in time. An unfortunate side effect of this is that the child can learn (often subconsciously) that this behavior “pays off”, that it gets parental attention very quickly, and so the child resorts to it again and again in future and often more severely each time. Parents are taught how to safely block these behaviors when occurring to prevent harm and how to redirect the child without paying extra attention to the behavior.

Teaching the child good coping strategies, sensory replacements, how to access parental attention more appropriately, and teaching parents how to more safely secure the immediate environment, are important when treating Self-Injurious Behavior.

The downloadable data sheet below helps you to track the frequency of a specific behavior:

ABC data collection

  Behavior frequency data sheet

Glossary

Bolting, also known as “elopement”, is when the child inappropriately leaves the immediate area and without having permission to do so. Teaching the child community safety rules and practicing how to ask for permission before leaving a parent’s side can reduce instances of bolting. Using game play is a fun way to teach the child how to “stop” and “wait” appropriately. Initial practice, and a lot of it, in safe environments is very important before trying out in the community, and adult supervision is a key component in treating bolting behaviors.

In this video, parents discuss their experiences and Amalie D. Holley, MS Board Certified Behavior Analyst and FirstPath Autism Program Manager offers suggestions for how to address bolting.

ABC data collection

  Behavior frequency data sheet

Glossary