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Managing Meltdowns: Using the S.C.A.R.E.D. Calming Technique with Children and Adults with Autism
In a chaotic or threatening situation, fear is the primary emotional response of an autistic individual. Often the initial physical response is to freeze. 'Meltdowns', or brain overloads can be scary for the individual with autism, and for the person trying to help if they don't know how to react in this situation. Common coping strategies, such as hand flapping or leg shaking, can be misperceived as being wilful, noncompliant, and uncooperative; and some techniques commonly recommended during times of distress or crisis, such as maintaining eye contact or using light touch, can be counter-productive rather than providing relief. Using the easy-to-remember acronym S.C.A.R.E.D, coined by clinical psychologist Will Richards, this guide offers strategies and practical techniques that will be a valuable reference tool to anyone in a first response position. The authors have created a training programme to explain the autistic experience and mindset, and guide the interventions of first responders to autistic individuals in crisis.
80 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 9, 2012
If you either work or live with a person with autism, this is worthwhile reading -- not so much for the calming technique (which, for the most part, you will have already developed, possibly through "trial by fire," but still, you will have developed it) but for the insight into what the person with autism is feeling and experiencing during a meltdown. (The author is herself a woman with high-functioning autism.) It's easy to become jaded when working day-in and day-out with those with autism, as I do, and this book is a reminder that the behaviors that seem so utterly bizarre to us "NT's" (neurotypicals) make sense when viewed through the lens of the autistic individual. During a meltdown, the person experiencing it -- even a high-functioning individual such as Ms. Lipsky -- has NO capacity to take in meaningful sensory information (and this includes what is being seen by them and said to them -- a MAJOR problem if the person doing the talking is a first responder in an emergency). Again and again, the author makes the point that the PRIMARY emotion experienced by persons with autism is fear and that what seem to most of us as completely benign daily experiences are, in fact, for persons on the autism spectrum, truly frightening. (I have tried to conceptualize this for myself and found it very difficult to do so until I hit on the idea of imagining myself going through my daily routine surrounded by snakes -- big, ugly, unrestrained snakes. At that point, I could completely relate to Ms. Lipsky's description of days lived in unremitting anxiety punctuated by occasional embarrassing losses of hard-won coping skills!)
A second point made by the author is that, contrary to popular (and professional) opinion, persons with autism CAN empathize with others. In fact, she is offended by the suggestion that she and others with autism cannot empathize, and she rightly points out that often the NT's making this pronouncement cannot, in fact, empathize with HER experience -- including the experience of being told with self-righteous "professionalism" that she can't possibly understand them because she is autistic. What she does note, however, is that the expression of empathy from a person with autism will likely look different than the expression offered by an NT and will usually take the form of action rather than language (and in this case "language" refers not only to verbal expression but facial and body language as well). This is a point very well taken, but not one I have read in any other context, academic or otherwise. However, when I reflect upon my own experiences with persons with autism, I have to concede that this is probably true. As an NT, I suspect I often either missed or misinterpreted expressions of empathy unaccompanied by language. This is definitely food for thought.
My recommendation? If you have an interest in autism, this small book would make a good addition to your resource library. (I should also note that the book makes a special effort to educate first responders who may encounter persons with autism at the most critical of times. It would likely make a good addition to their libraries as well.)
A second point made by the author is that, contrary to popular (and professional) opinion, persons with autism CAN empathize with others. In fact, she is offended by the suggestion that she and others with autism cannot empathize, and she rightly points out that often the NT's making this pronouncement cannot, in fact, empathize with HER experience -- including the experience of being told with self-righteous "professionalism" that she can't possibly understand them because she is autistic. What she does note, however, is that the expression of empathy from a person with autism will likely look different than the expression offered by an NT and will usually take the form of action rather than language (and in this case "language" refers not only to verbal expression but facial and body language as well). This is a point very well taken, but not one I have read in any other context, academic or otherwise. However, when I reflect upon my own experiences with persons with autism, I have to concede that this is probably true. As an NT, I suspect I often either missed or misinterpreted expressions of empathy unaccompanied by language. This is definitely food for thought.
My recommendation? If you have an interest in autism, this small book would make a good addition to your resource library. (I should also note that the book makes a special effort to educate first responders who may encounter persons with autism at the most critical of times. It would likely make a good addition to their libraries as well.)
September 9, 2009
Read this in 20 minutes. This would probably be fairly useful to first responders (police, EMTs, etc) who know nothing about autism spectrum disorders as part of a special training, but the information is too vague and general to be of much use alone. I know a lot about ASDs and I still had a lot of questions after reading this I'd like to ask the authors.
June 8, 2011
A great practical guide to help individuals with autism and those who work with them. This book is written by an author with autism and a counselor/therapist who conduct seminars primarily for first responders: firefighters, police, doctors, and nurses. I gained a number of very useful and practical ideas that can be readily applied to the school setting.
July 11, 2012
A great practical guide to help individuals with autism and those who work with them. This book is written by an author with autism and a counselor/therapist who conduct seminars primarily for first responders: firefighters, police, doctors, and nurses. I gained a number of very useful and practical ideas that can be readily applied to the school setting.
March 31, 2017
Finally, a book written BY someone with autism for supporting someone with autism. Never mind applied behavior analysis, this is about things neurotypicals would probably not understand without this book. A fast, concrete read. Keep it close by if you're fortunate enough to have someone with autism in your life.
January 16, 2016
Good Tool for anyone working with autism.
Good strategies to help a person who happens to have autism. Especially important that we understand we are dealing with a non neural typical person and should respond appropriately.
Good strategies to help a person who happens to have autism. Especially important that we understand we are dealing with a non neural typical person and should respond appropriately.
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December 18, 2016A valuable insight in to how to work and support people with autism manage their condition. I hope it has also given me a better language to talk to students so I can work with them to make better informed intervention plans.
November 23, 2018
Otistik kişinin duygusal çöküşlerini bu kadar iyi anlatan başka bir kitap bilmiyorum.
Otistlerin (veya otistik / otizimli), empati yapmadığı söylenir; oysa nörotipikler (otist olmayanlar) acaba otistlere ne kadar empatikler, onları ne kadar anlayabiliyorlar? Empati için bu kitap iyi bir imkan veriyor.
Türkçesi Pepino yayıncılık tarafından yayınlandı. Baskısı tükendi maalesef, dilerim yeni baskısı olur.
Otistlerin (veya otistik / otizimli), empati yapmadığı söylenir; oysa nörotipikler (otist olmayanlar) acaba otistlere ne kadar empatikler, onları ne kadar anlayabiliyorlar? Empati için bu kitap iyi bir imkan veriyor.
Türkçesi Pepino yayıncılık tarafından yayınlandı. Baskısı tükendi maalesef, dilerim yeni baskısı olur.
September 25, 2018
Good strategy book, based around catastrophic meltdowns, thankfully my family haven't been so severe, but still offered good tactics on how to manage, understand and communicate with Autistics both everyday and during a meltdown.
May 12, 2021
Lots of good practical advice here for people who interact with autistic adults or kids. One author is on the spectrum, and provides valuable insight into her experiences and how she has learned to manage her own meltdowns.
December 12, 2022
What a great book to help me have a great understanding of what is happening in an autistic mind. I need to resource it over and over to help me help my grandson. Understanding a meltdown and how to help is so beneficial and that it happens due to stressors.
December 25, 2022
While this would be more useful for NT people and I'm autistic, I still feel like this gave me some good ideas to use with my therapist in coming up with plans to avoid having meltdowns as much as possible.
December 20, 2020
Great technique better book. Insightful and resourceful. Thanks for this!
January 10, 2012
It was more for learning how to handle meltdowns with adults versus children.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews