From the workplace to home, meltdowns impacted every aspect of my life.
People often mistake them for “tantrums” or behavior problems, but in reality, it’s about how our bodies process information.
It’s not a choice. It’s painful, confusing, and exhausting.
But my personal experience helped me develop a simple idea: Just like we have fire escape plans, we need Meltdown Plans.
I’ve been teaching Meltdown Planning for years. Now, with Gigi’s help, I’m finally sharing our customizable Meltdown Planning Poster! We’ve included templates and “word banks” to help you build a personalized safety plan that fits YOUR needs.
Once you make your custom plan, you can keep it at home as a reminder or use it to communicate your support system. This will be different for everyone since you may or may not feel comfortable sharing with parents, a manager, roommates, etc.
End of the day, this is a tool for YOU. If you think it would help to share, you can! If you would rather only use it for personal use, you are free to do so.
I hope this custom template helps you develop your own safety plan that you’ll feel comfortable sharing with your support system—such as a partner, parent, or best friend. ❤️
What you can download on this page:
- Example Meltdown Plan (Home): My own personal meltdown plan as an autistic adult.
- Example Recovery Plan (Work): Slight changes in wordings to help keep information private.
- Example Meltdown Plan (Kids): What your meltdown plan can look like to share with support staff or for at home for younger children.
- Meltdown Planning Guide: More details on each section of your plan. We also offer a free Meltdown Plan PowerPoint, a free YouTube video teaching our method in more detail, and our article packed with tips summarizing our method.
- Template for Meltdown Planning: Editable template and also includes word banks for examples and guidance.
