Are you frustrated because your child has a meltdown right when he or she comes back from school? Are you having a difficult time processing the disconnect between his or her model behavior at school and the meltdowns at home? Instead of going after the meltdowns that happen when your child comes home, it is important to understand why they happen.
Your child has to deal with a lot during the course of the school day. He or she is processing a new authority figure, a new routine, and a lot of lessons. Your child also has to learn how to interact with peers. This can put a great deal of stress on your child’s central nervous system, making it hard for him or her to keep up during the day. Then, when your child comes home, it is not unusual to let loose and vent all of these frustrations in a familiar setting.
If this sounds like something your child is going through, it is important to develop sensory processing strategies. Figure out what you can do to help your child to calm down. Is there a tactile activity that might be helpful? Is there a snack your child might enjoy? Make sure to validate your child’s feelings and help him or her process everything that happens.
A few critical points to keep in mind include:
Some children have a difficult time processing everything that happens at school.
When children reach a familiar environment, they might have a meltdown to release a lot of the tension and stress.
You may want to develop sensory processing strategies to help your child.
Learn more about after-school meltdowns with this article on Understood.org!
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