Mark welcomes back a Neuroshambles favourite Lisa Galley, for a deep dive into one of the topics every family raising neurodivergent kids will recognise: meltdowns. As an autism family consultant and mum to three of her own, fully grown neurodivergent humans, Lisa brings a wealth of lived experience to help unpick what is really going on in a child's brain and body when their nervous system tips beyond its limits.
Mark and Lisa explore the three main contributing factors to meltdowns, before working through the four main survival responses that PDA and other neurodivergent kids can show when overwhelmed: fight, flight, freeze and fawn. They also tackle one of the most frustrating bugbears for parents of autistic, ADHD and PDA kids - the assumption that a meltdown is simply a tantrum. They dissect exactly why the two are worlds apart and why treating one like the other often makes things worse.
They share honest, sometimes hair-raising stories from their own households, from the most extreme of flight responses to an epic meltdown triggered by an Easter egg hunt and they offer a genuinely practical rundown of what can help before, during and after a meltdown happens. It's the kind of grounded, funny, non-judgemental chat about parenting neurodivergent kids that Neuroshambles listeners are looking - whether they're seeking autistic parenting advice for the first time or simply want to feel a little less alone in the chaos.
CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (ESTIMATED)
00:01:10 - Meet the guest: Lisa Galley returns
00:03:02 - Topic of the week: what actually is a meltdown?
00:04:48 - The window of tolerance and the nervous system
00:13:37 - Three main causes of meltdown: sensory, communication and unpredictability
00:23:15 - Fight, flight, freeze and fawn: the four meltdown responses
00:43:00 - Tantrums vs meltdowns: what's the difference?
00:49:31 - Common misconceptions about meltdowns
00:50:55 - Public meltdowns and dealing with judgement
00:57:53 - Spotting the signs before a meltdown happens
01:06:43 - What actually helps during a meltdown
01:18:39 - The Positives
01:21:48 - Neurodiversity Champions
01:26:31 - Tiny Epic Wins
01:30:39 - What The Flip? Moments
LINKS TO STUFF WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE
Parenting Your Autistic Child: Permission to Do It Differently, by Lisa Galley - https://amzn.eu/d/09LMvRVR
Lisa Galley's website - https://lisagalley.com
Lisa Galley's free Autism Parenting Guide to Meltdowns (plus bonus meltdown tracker) - https://learn.lisagalley.com/meltdownsguide
Different Minds: How We Can Help Our Autistic School Children Thrive, by Pete Wharmby - https://amzn.eu/d/0cE2Sjcq
Neuroshambles mailing list sign-up (with free PDF of What the Flip moments) - https://preview.mailerlite.io/forms/2414072/190019322933937234/share
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🎙️ CREDITS
🎶 Theme music by Skilsel on Pixabay: pixabay.com