
Handling tantrums typically requires different strategies than meltdowns.
#TEMPER TANTRUM VS SENSORY MELTDOWN HOW TO#
Now that you know the difference between the two, let’s discuss how to handle temper tantrums and meltdowns. So, how do you handle temper tantrums and meltdowns? Voss offers some good tips for understanding these sensory meltdowns. According to occupational therapist Angie Voss sensory meltdowns are especially challenging. Psychologist Mark Hutten ( offers some tips for parents of ASD children for handling meltdowns.Ĭhildren with sensory processing disorders may also experience frequent meltdowns because they have trouble processing sensory information. They can also become overwhelmed by unfamiliar or chaotic surroundings. This is because children with ASD have difficulty talking about and regulating their emotions. If your child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), then you’re probably a frequent observer of the ASD meltdown. But children with certain developmental disorders usually have meltdowns more often.

He might be exhausted from lack of sleep. On the other hand, meltdowns happen when a child is completely overwhelmed by emotions or his environment. Often, ignoring a child’s behavior during a tantrum will cause the child to stop. Attention-even negative attention-feeds a tantrum.The child has some control over his or her behavior.

Key characteristics of a temper tantrum you should look out for: These frustrations trigger an emotion of anger and therefore cause an emotional outburst. Or, she might want to avoid doing something, such as putting on her shoes. For example she may want a toy at the store.

Temper tantrums are milder outbursts and usually happen when a child wants something or no one is paying attention to her. So, how do you handle them?įirst, let’s discuss how temper tantrums and meltdowns differ. Tantrums and meltdowns are some of the most challenging problems for parents of preschoolers. We get lots of questions about how to handle temper tantrums and meltdowns. They’re ugly, loud, and embarrassing, especially in public places.
