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qtheallpowerfulAll the autistic people in my family were overstimulated at the same time today. One of them shut down, one was about 80/20 meltdown/tantrum, and then there was me, expending all my energy to not shut down or meltdown, while helping them through their stuff and simultaneously trying to keep the other two children calm and non-escalatory. It was very frustrating, and I am now very tired. I was tired before, as we have begun to work on waking up and having everyone ready as per our school schedule.
This whole event, and some of the things said by some family members makes me realize that I am the only one who knows what a meltdown is. Even though I am well aware of what it is, both because of watching my son, and having them myself, I still struggle to identify a meltdown vs a tantrum sometimes, so I can understand it being difficult for my husband and the other children. What this tells me is that my hopes for a therapy-free school year are for naught. Clearly as a family we all need to work on how we are interacting with my son specifically regarding how his autism presents.
This whole event, and some of the things said by some family members makes me realize that I am the only one who knows what a meltdown is. Even though I am well aware of what it is, both because of watching my son, and having them myself, I still struggle to identify a meltdown vs a tantrum sometimes, so I can understand it being difficult for my husband and the other children. What this tells me is that my hopes for a therapy-free school year are for naught. Clearly as a family we all need to work on how we are interacting with my son specifically regarding how his autism presents.
