Meltdown at therapy

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I went to occupational therapy today. I got really overwhelmed and couldnt concentrate. I put my head on the table and didnt try. I couldnt do it. It was embarassing. Im 18 and I shouldnt be getting overwhelmed like that.

My therapist let me just sit there like that. I started rocking. I dont even know why I was so upset. Im working on not doing that stuff anymore. I work on it at school too

Rocking is good, if you don't let yourself stim meltdowns come more and often worse.

Yeah. I stim a lot.

Therapy is probably the best place for that to happen. At least there the Therapist will (hopefully!) be understanding and help you through it.

I hope things get better for you.

Don't be hard on yourself. It actually may have been good for your occupational therapist to see, they may understand your better now. It may be good to bring this up at your next O.T. meeting.

Yeah. That is good. I will talk about it at OT next time. It was embarassing. I walked out of the session with my head down. I was also rubbing my hair. People in the waiting room were staring

I become mute during mine...having a more positive outlook and accepting my mistakes mentally really, really helps me in general.
When I was able to have OT from 2012-2013 as an adult. I knew it was a "safe" place to endure a meltdown if I had one, yet I made poor choices/had a bit of challenging behavior than have a meltdown there instead(even with the sensory equipment available- when I needed a break). I just couldn't allow myself to meltdown even though once, I watched from a distance (there was a joined school for special needs which I helped at a bit) as a student had a meltdown and saw how the girl was treated respectfully. At the time I was being trained to do an internship where I was (and I really wanted to do the internship), the behaviors I had were after my hour of therapy, during my job-training. My behaviors costed me to be unable to work there, but provided was first-hand experience reported for SSI for why I am unable to work without "substantial support".

Don't feel bad. Meltdowns are just part of having autism. I had one yesterday at my office, which involved me going totally nonverbal, banging my head on the wall, trying to bite my friend when she restrained me, and trying to break free and run off when the paramedics were called in. These happen for me on a monthly basis, and I'm 25. I'm sure you're not the only autistic person your OT sees, and I'm sure he/she has seen meltdowns before. Don't beat yourself up over it, and remember that stimming is good; it serves an important function in keeping our overwhelm in check.

Thank you. Yeah, Im sure she has seen other meltdowns. She has seen me meltdown more than once. I just feel bad when it happens

There is no age that is too old to have meltdowns if you are Autistic. Meltdowns are neurological. They are not tantrums that you choose to have. I am 51 years old and have meltdowns all the time. In fact, my brain shuts down every single time I have physical therapy and the therapists have just learned to accept that that is what I am going to do and they plan for it every single session. I can certainly understand you having one in OT as well. I got overwhelmed with an OT assignment at OT on Friday and if I had not stopped the exercise, I would have had a meltdown as well. Don't feel bad about it. It's normal for Autistics. They will totally understand that. It just means that your brain is overwhelmed. It is important for you therapist to know what overwhelms your system but you should never feel bad about it.

It's okay to have meltdowns at therapy my friend. It's happened to me with past therapists of mine also. Don't be too hard on yourself.

The therapist earns the same money in any event

The current counselor told me that if someone started breaking the furniture that would not be ok with her

But just having a "meltdown"?

That's it

It doesn't matter to the therapist

Thats good. Its a regular occurence for me. I have meltdowns a lot

My parents dont want me on meds

My parents dont want me on meds