Transitions like bedtime, clean-up time, or leaving the playground seem simple to adults. But for many kids, these changes in activity can lead to meltdowns. That’s because sudden changes can feel overwhelming or even scary for children with sensory or behavioral challenges.
My name is Jennifer Hatch, and I am a pediatric occupational therapist here at Fluens Children’s Therapy. Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about why transitions are so tough, and how you can support your child with simple strategies that make a big difference.
What Is a Transition?
A transition is when a child is moving from one activity to another. That could be going from playtime to dinner, or from dinner to bath time. For many children, especially those with behavioral challenges or sensory processing difficulties, transitions can feel really big, sudden, and scary.
That’s why you might see a child either melt down or shut down if you are asking them to transition from one activity to another.
What Are Meltdowns and Shutdowns in a Child’s Behavior?
A meltdown happens when the world is too much for a child. They’re experiencing sensory overload, and they’re losing control. Those behaviors can look like hitting, screaming, crying, or throwing things.
On the other end, you have a shutdown. This is when a child simply ignores or avoids whatever it is that’s upsetting them. They may be ignoring you, refusing to speak, avoiding eye contact, and just not communicating at all.
How Occupational Therapy Can Help
The nice thing is that occupational therapy can help whether your child tends to melt down or shut down during transitions. We can give kiddos tools and strategies to cope more effectively.
We can also educate parents and teachers on different tips and strategies to help them improve their transitioning skills so it’s a little bit easier and more manageable for all of us.
Tips for Smoother Transitions
These may seem like small tools, but they can make a big difference for your kiddos. Here are some simple tips that can help your child predict and manage transitions a little bit better:
1. Make It Fun
If your child isn’t ready to clean up toys and go to dinner, try joining in! Get on the floor with them, crawl, or add a fun movement break to shift from one activity to the next.
2. Use a Visual or Auditory Timer
Use a visual timer or an auditory timer. Throw on the timer and let them know that when it goes off, you’re going to be all done playing, and it’s time for dinner (or whatever the transition that you’re working on may be).
3. Try a Visual Schedule
Visual schedules give kiddos pictures so that they can see what’s going to be happening next. That way they can predict, and it might not be so scary for them.
4. Offer a Comfort Item
Let them have a comfort item. For example, if they’re not ready to get out of the bath, have that comfort item ready for them so that they are rewarded with it when they do follow through with your direction.
Call Fluens Children’s Therapy for Expert Support
If your child is struggling with transitions, whether it be at home, at school, or in any area of their life, you might want to seek an occupational therapy evaluation. We can give you some personalized tips and strategies if that is something that your child is struggling with.
Give us a call at 253-212-3502 to schedule an evaluation and learn how we can support your child.