Something I have been struggling with us helping people understand and accept that when Gavin has his meltdowns, it's within his control to stop.
A lot of people see to have a hard time accepting that fact, and it is a fact.
One of my fantastic readers brought to my attention that perhaps I should not be referring to what Gavin does, as a *meltdown. *She suggested that instead, I refer to them as *tantrums. *
She explained that when people think of a meltdown, they tend to think of the more traditional meltdowns that can occur with anyone on the #Autism spectrum. Most importantly, these traditional meltdowns are outside of the persons control.
You know something, she's absolutely right.
Gavin has control over these tantrums and so tantrum is a more accurate description to the behaviors.
This makes a great deal more sense than calling them meltdowns. I had simply been using the term meltdown, because it described what he was doing. The reality is that what he's doing is having a tantrum, not a typical autism related meltdown.
Most meltdowns are caused by overstimulation. This is not the case with Gavin. Gavin's behaviors are caused when he is held accountable for his actions. There is a very distinct difference.
Thank you so much for pointing that out. I'm really sorry for using the wrong terminology and causing so much confusion.
From now on, I'm referring to Gavin's fits, as tantrums, as that is a far more accurate way of describing them.
I really appreciate everything that you folks take the time to share with me. I have learned a valuable lesson and honestly, this helps put things into perspective for me. :-)
