SENSORY STRATEGIES
The Art of Regulating When Meltdowns Occur By Brandy Browne
YESTERDAY, I WATCHED IN FRUSTRATION AS MY DAUGHTER MELTED INTO A CRYING BALL OF WILD CURLS ROCKING BACK AND FORTH. WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM? SHE HAD HELPED SWEEP THE FLOOR, BUT WHAT IF SHE HAD GOT A CRUMB OF THE CHICKEN FEED WE KEEP IN A BIG TUB BY THE DOOR ON HER HAND? NOW, SHE DIDN’T FEEL WE COULD TAKE THE BABY BUNNIES OUT OF THE CAGE TO HOLD BECAUSE WHAT IF THEY LICKED HER HAND AND THEN DIED? SHE WAS STUCK IN HER UPSTAIRS BRAIN (A DANIEL SEGEL TERM...LOOK UP HIS RESEARCH ON THE BRAIN...IT’S FASCINATING), AND THERE WAS NO REASONING WITH HER. THIS IS NOT AN UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE. SHE IS ONE OF MANY AROUND THE WORLD WHO DEAL WITH CRIPPLING ANXIETY AND ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) TO BOOT. AS A PARENT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR WITH A DEGREE IN PARENTING AND CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT HOW TO HANDLE THESE MELTDOWNS WHEN THEY OCCUR.
I
’ll share my tips of the trade, but rest assured, no matter how knowledgeable you are, it can still be incredibly frustrating and heart-wrenching to watch.
First and foremost, de-escalate the situation. My daughter thrives on physical touch, so I wrapped her up in my arms and held her until I felt her body relax under my arms. Some children have an aversion to touch, and in this case, it would be best to simply sit nearby, offering a calm presence until the worst has passed. Be intentional about thriving on routine. While spontaneity may have a place, children who have difficulty regulating
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and de-escalating need structure and routine. In a personal interview with writer Julia Cook (author of My Mouth is a Volcano, I Just Don’t Like the Sound of No, and Herman Jiggle, Say Hello!), she noted, “anxiety has to do with predictability” (J. Cook, personal communication, March 17, 2021). When children who suffer from anxiety or even ADHD, autism, etc., do not have a clear picture of what is expected, it can cause panic and disruptive behaviors that stem from worries about what is to come. Children’s literature has a wealth of strategies that can give children a concrete way to help manage anxiety. For example, I employed a strategy from Suzanne Chiew’s The Worry Box in
