Calming Techniques

Developing and using self-calming techniques can be one of the most important social skills your child will ever learn. These techniques help your child develop a self-righting mechanism of sorts, preventing embarrassing meltdowns that lead to avoidance from others.

When my son was little, we had a specified routine that we used that seemed to help him. When he was feeling upset he would go to his room, turn on his calming music (soothing nature sounds) on his CD player and lay down on his bed.

At school we have in his IEP a step-by-step procedure that he can use to seek out his safe person and get to home base for when he is stressed and overwhelmed or begins to experience sensory overload. Example: He is to show his Travel Pass to his teacher and go to the counselor’s office to do a calming activity (stress ball or journal) for five minutes.

To minimize the stress and anxiety my son experiences at school, we have found that it is best to:

-Preview and prepare him for all novel situations and transitions in advance.
-Provide a consistent and predictable routine; avoid sudden and unexpected surprises.
-Do not talk to him in a loud voice because he will totally shut down. Using a calm, soft tone is more beneficial.

The most important starting point in helping a student with Asperger Syndrome function effectively in school is for the staff (all who will come into contact with the child) to realize that the child has an inherent developmental disorder which causes him or her to behave and respond in a different way from other students. Too often, behaviors in these children are interpreted as "emotional", or "manipulative", or some other term that misses the point that they respond differently to the world and its stimuli. It follows from that realization that school staff must carefully individualize their approach for each of these children; it will not work out to treat them just the same as other students.

A Training Session for all personnel that comes in contact with your child should be in your child’s IEP and done before school starts. During this meeting you can provide information that is stated in the IEP on the specific behavioral and emotional concerns of your child and the procedures that are to be followed for any behavioral problem.