Top 10 Ways to Calm Your Child When Having a Meltdown

One of the biggest challenges for many families who have a special needs child is dealing with negative behaviors and meltdowns. “What calming strategies have you found to be successful?” is often a common question.

Here are the Top 10 Ways to calm a child having a meltdown:

1. Prevention is the best policy. This will become easier as you learn to identify and avoid meltdown triggers.

2. Do your research — especially if triggers aren’t obvious–to determine what factors were in place that resulted in a meltdown: make a list of things going on before the behavior took a turn for the worse and see if you can find patterns.

3. Use deep pressure including weighted blankets and massage to ease your child back into a calmer state.

4. Create a diversion that will take your child’s attention elsewhere. This could be singing a song, taking a walk, making silly faces or whatever usually makes your child laugh.

5. Keep yourself calm and seek a calm environment to encourage de-escalation.

6. Aromatherapy can be soothing especially lavender and chamomile oils.

7. Provide positive verbal reinforcements as your child shows signs of calming down.

8. A pop-up tent can be effective in easing your child by providing alone-time. Place soothing objects inside such as a bean bag, soft blanket, a favorite book, etc.

9. A Gluten-Free diet and various biomedical treatments over time may result in a lessening of meltdown tendencies.

10. Consider noise cancelling headphones to eliminate auditory input which can lead to sensory overload.