Ask people to move along and not to stare, turn off loud music and turn down bright lights – whatever you can think of to reduce the information overload, try it.

Make space - try to create a quiet, safe space as best you can.

Calmly ask them (or their parent or friend) if they’re OK, but bear in mind they’ll need more time to respond than you might expect.

Give them some time - it can take a while to recover from information or sensory overload.

It can make a world of difference to an autistic person and their carers. If someone is having a meltdown, or not responding to you, don’t judge them. Meltdowns are not the only way an autistic person may express feeling overwhelmed. They may also refuse to interact, withdrawing from situations they find challenging or avoiding them altogether. When a person is completely overwhelmed, and their condition means it is difficult to express that in another way, it is understandable that the result is a meltdown. It happens when someone becomes completely overwhelmed by their current situation and temporarily loses control of their behaviour. This loss of control can be expressed verbally (eg shouting, screaming, crying), physically (eg kicking, lashing out, biting) or in both ways.Ī meltdown is not the same as a temper tantrum. If your family member or the person you support has meltdowns, find out how to anticipate them, identify their causes and minimise their frequency.Ī meltdown is an intense response to an overwhelming situation. The public often finds it hard to tell autism meltdowns and temper tantrums apart, but they are very different things.

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