Many of us have experienced meltdowns along the way on this journey we call special needs parenting. Sometimes there are obvious reasons for a meltdown and sometimes there isn't. I personally feel that it's important to try to find the reason a child is melting down because it may be possible to provide relief.
However, as I said, there are times when it seems like there is simply no rhyme or reason to the behavior.
I experienced one of these situations on the other day. Emmett and I were going to pick up the boys from school. He insisted on going with me, so it wasn't like I had dragged him along. Everything was fine and we were even singing the alphabet.
Then seemingly out of nowhere, he began to freak out and this freaking out lead to a huge meltdown.
With Emmett, it's really hard to tell what is upsetting him as communication is still a challenge, despite the tremendous progress he has made. I used my phones, front facing camera and stuck it in the visor thingy and was able to use it like a mirror so I could see him. Nothing I could do would console him.
The only thing I got out of his screaming was something about wanting a cake. A freaking cake. Where the heck did that come from?
He screamed the whole way home. I had to hit the pharmacy on the way back and he screamed so loud that I couldn't hear the pharmacy tech.
He didn't really seem angry but instead very anxious. Maybe all the light reflecting off the snow was overwhelming for him? Either way, I never figured this one out and likely never will. He did eventually settle down but not before completely exhausting himself and stressing me out beyond all belief.
This is one of the things I find the most frustrating about Emmett's Autism. I hate that we can't better communicate. I wish he was able to tell us what was wrong so we could try to help him. I would be happier if I could simply understand better, what his needs are so I could figure these things out on my own. It's heartbreaking to watch you child go through something like this and not really be able to help.
Below you'll find the video of this meltdown that my phone recorded while being used as a monitor.
I welcome any insight you might have into this.
One a positive note, Gavin and Elliott handled this situation very well. Elliott even showed off for the camera.
As always, this video is for educational purposes only. I share these situations with you as a means of helping educate.
[youtube width="720" height="480"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl_8qOV9Twk[/youtube]
