One Surprising Warning Sign of Meltdowns

When you think of warning signs to meltdowns what comes up for you?

Irritable mood, arguing, agitation, increased heart rate, glaring, whining, difficulty with concentration, and difficulty following through with expected tasks are a couple of the popular ones that come in my office. 

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I wanted to share one of the more surprising warning signs of a meltdown that often leave parents baffled.  Parents will often say “He was fine one minute and having fun and the text we were in a full out meltdown. I don’t know what happened!”

And just what is this warning sign? Those moods where kids are hyperactive and even giddy or excited.  To parents it might look like kids are having fun, but these moods often are indicative of sympathetic nervous system activation and the fight/flight response. 

During these times kids often struggle to make eye contact, have a hard time hearing what grownups are saying or following rules, are hyperactive, impulsive with actions, can be running, giggling, laughing, etc.  And often parents don’t want to “spoil the fun” but typically dysregulation is quick to follow.  

And if you notice there is quite a bit of overlap between how these hyperactive and giddy moods can present and when the child is escalating in an irritable way.  The main difference is for one the mood is irritable and the other is giddy and excitable - which can definitely throw grownups off! 

If we can work with caregivers and train them to see these moods as a sign of dysregulation both parents and children will avoid some of the distress and overstimulation that comes from having too much fun!  

If you are looking for more ideas to help kids with regulation skills check out these resources HERE, HERE, and HERE! AND don’t forget to grab this FREE guide for parents HERE with all the best co-regulation skills! 

Looking for more resources for regulation? Check out my training on Keep Calm and Regulate On: Play Therapy and the Neuroscience of Emotional Regulation! ​

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