How do you cope with meltdowns as they get bigger/stronger?

[sarah573]

Im really worried about DS whos 9 with AS.

He's big for his age, he's already chin height to me (and Im 5'6"), and is going to have a strong athletic build.

Yesterday we were on the train and he had a particually big meltdown (he hit his Nintendo so I took it away). It lasted a good 20 minutes, and involved him first trying to grab my handbag I had put the Nintendo in and progressed to trying to sratch/bite/hit me and strangle me with the strap of my bag when I wouldn't let him have it. He only came out of it as we reached our stop and I walked off down the carriage without him. By the time we got off the platform he was calm and apologising.

Trouble is he is getting very strong, and when he goes into one he really does try to hurt me. At the moment I can still control him, but it is becoming a real struggle - I was completely knackered yesterday. Its not going to be long before he is a strong as I am, and then what happens? Im really worried.

It's difficult. DS1 is 8 and severely autistic. When he kicks off now I really struggle to control him and recently he has started to punch or hit me when he goes off on one. He pulled me over at the beginning of the holidays in a shop and I thought I'd broken my ankle as I went down (just twisted). Not much use for you probably but I use a belt harness from crelling when out and about as I know I can cling onto that (he has no road sense so I really don't want him to escape iyswim).

Not much help; it's something we talk about a lot atm as it's worrying. I do find that kind of grabbing him from behind (so wrapping my arms around his chest & arms) can sometimes be useful, but I don't know a 'correct' way of doing it - it's very difficult for parents to access appropriate training.

don't know .... and we're going through a similar thing with ds1 who's 10 and has Tourette's. He flies into spectacular rages, screaming expletives and hitting and kicking (although he assured me today he never uses his full force - still blooming well hurts though ...)

We had our first assessment appt with a psychiatrist at our local CAMHS on Monday as we all desperately need strategies to deal with this - I'll let you know if we come up with anything useful

my dd (14 non verbal classic autism,severe learning difficulties )has the most spectacular rages how i cope i don't know i just do and belive me just because she is a girl it doesn't hurt any less ,recently she got hold of a metal lump hammer in one of her rages and just threw it at me it hit me in the ear and split all my ear open i had to go to A&E and have it put back together i can laugh about it now ,but an inch or two higher and i don't know what would have happend i try to block door ways and try to get her to her bed room where i hold the door if she is still in full rage ,until she calms ,if i see her starting to get agitated i make her go to her room then i wish there was some training we could do ,but up till now i have had to make up my own ,belive in your self i have learnt to stand my ground and show no fear no matter what happens x

No advice here. When ds (7) has a meltdown I have tried restraining him like gess describes but it tends to bring on an asthma attack so then we have more problems. He gets scared by the asthma and continues to hit out and won't take his inhaler (he still has a baby type spacer so I just need to get mask over his face but it's hard).
If he does it when we are out I try to hold him from the front like a hug to stop him bashing against the pavement and getting hurt but then he often bites my shoulder - ouch.

do you know whether they allow parents to attend christie? (many don't). Think davros has the details of someone who was startng parent training.....

I was thinking of asking the new head- will do now (already asked him about makaton training- he will think I'm obsessed).thanks!