What to do in another aspie meltdown?

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Is there something I should do when another aspie is melting down?

This happened yesterday, and I think it will probably happen again sometime this year. A kid who sits next to me (actually, there's an empty seat and then him, but we're the only two at the table) is also an aspie. He's a little bit lower functioning than I am, and he has a teacher's aid. Yesterday, the aid was changing around his schedule and routine. I saw the meltdown coming from a mile away, although apparantly she didn't. Anyway, he did meltdown. It wasn't a violent one - he was just breathing really hard like he was having trouble getting air, and at one point he started to cry a little. The aid went up and got him some tissues, and then just kept going around the room (there are multiple kids in there who require her assitance, and the rest are very rowdy). She came back before he was finished and continued to change his schedule, which I think prolonged the meltdown.

So I sat there next to him and left him alone. I wanted to try and help calm him down, but I didn't know how, or if he would appreciate it. If you have had similar circumstances, how did you handle it? Or, if not, what helps bring you out of a meltdown? Are you all right with people helping you? Personally, I just want to be left alone during meltdowns, but I don't know if others do. Is there a specific thing I should have done? I'm realitvly sure the aid wasn't helping (she's a little bit odd. I'm not sure how much she understands AS. The rest of the students she has are not AS).

Thanks in advance.

I think you did well. I don't think that a lot of talk would help much. You might - when he is not in a meltdown - let him know you and he are alike and that you are happy to be his shield.

It really depends. But with me, getting hold of my shoulders seems to do the trick. Yeh, I wriggle a bit at first but I'll soon stop. And if you do talk, for pete's sake, do it quietly.

When I have an emotional outburst, the last thing I'd want is people paying attention to me, concerned about me, or talking to me. I think you did fine.

I don't know of anything that works for me. When I'm mad, it's almost always because someone made me mad, and I feel as if they have to be punished. So I take out my anger on them by trying to hurt them and have myself calm down in the process. However, I'm sure half the time it's not legal... And knowing Tae Kwon Do isn't exactly helping, especially if it's my mom's fault. I wish there was a way to get me to calm down, but when I'm mad, I literally go insane.

i like to be alone for a while... but pretending that it didn't happen will suffice.