One Reason Meltdowns Seem to Come Out of Nowhere

A blue faceless figure lies curled on the floor, holding its abdomen as overlapping orange body signals glow inside. A green figure sits nearby on a classroom chair in a small, windowless room, with a second empty chair in the corner.

About twenty years ago, I worked as an autism consultant in a large school district. This was during the era of time-out rooms, before schools widely discussed the harms of isolation and well before sensory rooms became common. A special education teacher brought a seven-year-old boy to the time-out room, and I met them there. … Read more