Meltdown Helps

Izaiah becoming more social!

Izaiah is feeling so much better with a healing GI system. His immunity has improved remarkably too.

Even so, we still have sensory needs and meltdowns.

Here's some super easy meltdown tips:

Dark room and pressure. We head up to Izaiah's room and I pull all the drapes so it is dark. I put one drop of lavender essential oil on each foot and then we crawl underneath his covers and snuggle. I might just hold him, lay a pillow on him, or use a weighted blanket. It takes about 10 minutes or less for him to be calm- no kidding! Doing it without lavender will work but takes about 30 to 40 minutes for the melties to subside. The lavender speeds it up 3 to 4 times! 

I'm battling environmental allergies with essential oils too. Diffused lemon, lavender, and peppermint have a dramatic impact. They clean the air during the day and aide sleeping at night. Reduced allergy problems make a big difference in the number of meltdowns we have.


We bought this sensory swing from IKEA. Izaiah will swing in it and soothe himself when he feels overcome by a meltdown. Once he settles down, I swing him face to face and this is the best time for eye contact! I also count as I swing him, sing songs, and read books. This great investment helps meltdowns, provides sensory integration, and if you have a kinesthetic learner (as it is becoming apparent that I do!) this is a big help for school.



Sometimes we just need a whole scenery change so we head outdoors and jump on the all important trampoline.

We also found this great trike. It's the closest we could come to a handicap trike without spending hundreds of dollars. It was about $70. We are able to steer and push from behind while Izaiah can practice pedaling and steering. This will last up to 60 lbs.

Fidgets. Izaiah loves fidgets. Thankfully he's not picky. Fabric is his favorite, especially Mommy's silkier type shirts...naturally. 

Izaiah really struggles with barometric pressure. The weather this Spring has been tumultuous including tornado conditions, hot weather, cold weather, drops in barometric pressure; they have all vexed him this season. It has caused pain, irritability and meltdowns; so, if you are wondering what in the world is going on at your house, this could be the culprit.

Two problems that seem to affect almost every autist is hunger and thirst. Always have snacks and drinks set out or packed if you're on the go. 

Izaiah will sometimes have transitional meltdowns, those seem to be the worst. And we seem to just have to ride those out. Often he will allow us to hold him or I put him in the tub with Epsom salts and a couple drops of lavender. to help.

Undergoing testing to uncover food allergies and intolerances and eliminating them has taken the punch out of meltdowns. It doesn't take away autism, but it sure does make it more tolerable.

Of course when it comes to meltdowns no two kids are alike. Even my own 2 autists are very different from each other in this department. These thoughts might resonate with you or get you thinking on your own ideas.

RECIPE:
Garbanzo Bean Brownies - this is for people with severe allergies and/or who are unable to have sugar.

Credit goes to Sheree Welshimer over at Cats in the Kitchen. The recipe is perfect the way she has it outlined and I've tweaked it a bit only for our tastes. If you have severe food allergies or battle yeast and must get sugar/carbs out of your diet then I urge you to follow her blog. Not only is it saving me in the kitchen and keeping my kids fed, it is also keeping me from ripping my hair out! Her recipes are accurate and work exactly as they are supposed to. 

Preheat oven to 480 degrees. It takes awhile, so go ahead and do this first!

2 cups garbanzo bean flour
3 T cocoa powder
1/2  tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 cup organic sugar OR 1/4 cup Truvia blend OR 1 to 2 drops Stevia liquid OR No sugar at all 

Mix the dry ingredients well with a fork.

Add 2 T Grape Seed Oil and mix with the fork - it will be very dry.
Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir again with the fork, it will be very wet. 
Stir in a couple of squirts of Agave syrup (optional)
Set batter for 5 minutes to thicken.

PREPARE PAN

Spray a glass baking dish,  9 X 13, with oil and add 1TBSP Grape Seed Oil to the bottom.
When the oven finally heats up to 480 degrees, put the dish inside to let it and the oil warm up for about 8 minutes. 

Remove and carefully pour in the batter.  The oil will be hot, but it helps to cook the brownies from below. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove. Let it cool for just several minutes and voila! brownies are ready. No waiting!

The Cookie Rite of Passage

When I write about autism, I try to communicate the positives and potential, but I absolutely have to share about a meltdown Izaiah had today. It left me in stitches; not frustrated, but totally laughing out loud.

Crunchy, hard, big cookies

Soft, small, chewy, cookies

So, enter the culprits:  1 box Enjoy Life Crunchy cookies and 1 box Enjoy Soft Baked cookies.  *No, I don't have any affiliate links to these brands, they aren't sending me free samples. My son just really likes this expensive, allergen-free, delectable, brand of cookies. So, if you see anyone from Enjoy Life, send them to my blog!

Back to my story. Izaiah has oral motor sensory issues and cannot take bites of the Crunchy cookies as they are too hard. He also cannot put a whole one in his mouth because they are too large. I just break them into small pieces that he can easily maneuver; no problem.

His main go-to cookie is the Soft Baked kind because he can either take a bite (soft) or shove the whole thing in his mouth (small.) But the key is, he can handle them all by himself; no breaking them up first by pesky, safety-oriented, Mom.

But today, he desired the Crunchy Cookie instead and rigidly set in his mind that he would fit that whole thing in his mouth. He tried but it just wasn't going to work. Like usual, I broke the cookie into several pieces, put it on a plate and then WHAM!!!!!!!!!  Izaiah's whole world shattered! He was screaming and bawling; he melted right into the floor inconsolable with grief. 

I felt so bad for him, but it's one of those choking, safety, issues that is non-negotiable. So, I let him get it all out for about 15 minutes. Then I picked up his sobbing body, put on his compression vest and held him until the meltdown was soothed away. 

When he was smiling again, he sweetly resigned himself to eating the Soft Baked cookie.  But before he ate it, he methodically and firmly tapped it on the unconquerable Crunchy cookie. Apparently, some bizarre transfer of  legitimacy passed from the Crunchy Cookie to the second-choice Soft Cookie. Satisfied (and very serious-faced), the ritual was complete so he ate it...happily.

I burst out laughing! It was so funny!  If only I'd known!  The 'cookie rite of passage' may have helped me  avoid 30 minutes of the near heart failure I had just experienced. As I giggled, Izaiah had the most somber look on his face so I quickly and seriously tapped a Soft cookie on the Crunchy cookie too and (with new hope) offered it to him. He accepted, so I must've done it right. Oh, sigh, another day in the life....

I know our issues can be trying. Often we are lacking in sleep, overwhelmed by special needs, stressed by the lack of resources and understanding, exasperated by helplessness, tired of feeling alone, etc. It's no wonder that at times we don't feel happy. But happiness is worldly and God is not concerned that we are happy but rather that we are holy.

When we are seeking Him, we become filled with Joy. Happiness only happens to us by outside forces that appear to be positive in some way. It vaporizes quickly when something perceived as negative is encountered and then we feel sad.

God doesn't want us to be controlled by these emotions! He wants us to experience joy. Joy exudes from us no matter what is happening. We trust that the Lord will make the best out of the bad, in his own time. He promises to in Romans 8:28. While happiness depends on waiting for something good in this life, Psalm 30:5 says that the Lord restores and refreshes our joy every morning!

So many of our kids' issues are not controllable, at least at very young ages. But we can be filled with joy, instill it into our kids, and God will give us more tomorrow so we can continue the cycle. I encourage you to find the blessings in autism!