Preventing Punishment-Related Meltdowns

By Mark Hutten, M.A.
There are some good prevention methods in dealing with punishment-related meltdowns. The first and most important consideration is to think in terms of “prevention” rather than “intervention.” Once a meltdown is underway, it usually has to run its course (i.e., it's too late to intervene at that point). So, the best approach is to educate yourself on how to put the fires out while they are still small.

In this post, we will discuss the following:
  • developing a daily routing
  • making expectations (e.g., rules, rewards, consequences, etc.) visually available
  • individualized reinforcers
  • making a consistent structured environment
  • being a "predictable person" for your child
  • the 3 phases of a meltdown

CLICK HERE for some prevention strategies to curb punishment-related meltdowns before that start.



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