8.12.2016

Dealing with Meltdowns in the RV

Dealing with the meltdowns.....
Wow have we had some doozies, we knew they would happen.  We just wasn't prepared for them to be so frequent.  Not only is he having his normal flares, but now he had new triggers.  These would include things like smells, new food, unfamiliar places, overly tired, overly excited and changes in his schedule.  Life on the road you can't always eat lunch at 11:32.  Especially as we cross through these time zones....they are Killing us!  For instance the other day we ate a late lunch which was fine he dealt with it.  We climbed back into the RV and it was almost 2pm.  We traveled for awhile and then made a pit stop, not realizing we crossed into another time zone.  What was 4 was now 5, we weren't hungry but he knows at 6pm we eat.  No amount of explaining was going to get him to let go of there needs to be food entering my belly in less then an hour.  So, he got an approved snack at 6pm and we waited until we pulled in for the night to eat our meal.  It worked out, but there was a lot of confusion and fear.  

He gets fearful of the unknown and even the possibility of change.  We are hoping that with this trip we can help him feel more comfortable when life calls for changes.  Gone are the days when he couldn't get into the van after a movie until all the credits played or not be able to cross over different types of flooring until he touched it with his check.  So, I know he can continue to grow and learn to trust in life's little surprises that they aren't all bad.  Sometimes change is good, even better then what was originally planned.  
It's just one step at a time.....right now we just keep him safe from hurting himself and ignore.  When I say ignore I mean we don't feed into the meltdown by asking questions and trying to calm him.  That creates too much stimuli and makes it even worse.  We average about 5 a day with only having to restrain him maybe 1 or 2 of those times.  We are looking into other options when we return home.  We know it is only a matter of time when we may not be able to keep him safe from himself.  Right now is so important to try and help him as much as possible!  I'll write soon about the oils we are using right now for him and the whole Family!

1 comment:

  1. Continued prayers as he learns coping skills! You are amazing, my friend!

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