Managing the Cycle of Meltdowns for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Foreword by Richard L. Simpson Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction Section I: A Model for Meltdown Behavior of Students With ASD 1. Autism Spectrum Disorder, Overview 2. The Nature of Meltdowns 3. A Six-Phase Model of the Meltdown Cycle Section II: Strategies for Managing the Phases of the Meltdown Cycle 4. Calm Phase 5. Trigger Phase 6. Agitation Phase 7. Meltdown Phase 8. Re-Grouping Phase 9. Starting-Over Phase 10. The Parent Component Closing Remarks Appendices References Index

"This book provides educators and parents with current research-based strategies for helping to recognize the stages of meltdown in children with ASD and a model for systematic analysis and action. The strategies suggested are comprehensive and sensitive to the diversity of student needs." -- Shannan McNair, Associate Professor "This how-to book provides a good introduction to the meltdown cycle and strategies anyone can implement. I recommend it as a particularly good resource for administrators and others who have had limited experience with autism." -- Wendy Dallman, Facilitator of New Teacher Mentoring Program "This text meets a need for special educators who work with ASD students. The material is useful and easy to navigate. The appendices offered some very concrete examples that are helpful for implementation." -- Mandy Ellis, Special Education Teacher and Learning Intervention Specialist "The author clearly explains the process of meltdown prevention and includes tables, lists and charts that summarize important points in the text. These features help teachers encapsulate the information into manageable, memorable bites, and are helpful for analyzing real-life situations." -- Carole S. Campbell, Early Childhood Consultant "An indispensable resource for teachers working with students with ASD, this book is informative, useful, easy to follow, and loaded with wisdom on analyzing challenging meltdown behaviors, identifying triggers, and implementing effective interventions." -- Catalina Palfreman, Special Education Teacher "As parents of a teenage boy with Autism, we highly recommend this book. Although our son has not had a true meltdown in many years, he still periodically displays the rest of the cycle. We learned from Geoff and Martin's book that what we once regarded as problem behaviors are really very purposeful strategies for achieving his various goals. We wish we'd had this resource 15 years ago! However, we are now better equipped to manage his current needs." -- Greg and Shelley Backstrom, Parents of child with ASD "This book is a key to keeping autistic meltdowns from taking over a classroom. Practical steps to recognizing, preventing and responding to common phases of meltdown behaviors with autism spectrum disorder students provides a guide that advocates positive behavior support and gives basic keys to achieving these goals." -- Midwest Book Review, October 2012