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Imagine this.
You walk into a room where the lights are too bright. There’s a buzzing sound you can’t turn off. Someone is talking to you, but their voice feels loud—almost painful. Your clothes itch. Something smells wrong. And no matter what you do… you can’t escape it. Now imagine someone asking you to stay calm, listen, and behave appropriately. This is what sensory overload can feel like for a child. “It’s Too Much, But I Don’t Know How to Tell You” From a child’s perspective, sensory overload isn’t just discomfort—it’s overwhelm in their entire nervous system. They may not say:
“I can’t handle this right now.” What It Feels Like Inside My Body If a child could explain it, it might sound like this: “Everything feels loud. Even things that shouldn’t be loud.” “My body feels tight and buzzy.” “I can’t think.” “I want it to stop, but I don’t know how.” “When people keep talking to me, it makes it worse.” In overload, the brain shifts into survival mode:
It’s a nervous system response. Why “Just Calm Down” Doesn’t Work When a child is overloaded, their thinking brain goes offline. That means they can’t:
What Actually Helps From a child’s perspective, support might feel like: ✔ Reducing the input
Some kids need distance to regulate—but not abandonment. ✔ Co-regulation first, problem-solving later Connection helps the nervous system settle. What I Wish You Knew If a child could leave you with one message, it might be this: “I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m having a hard time. When my world feels too big and too loud, I need you to help make it smaller and calmer.” A Gentle Reframe for Adults Instead of asking: “Why are they acting like this?” Try asking: “What might be overwhelming them right now?” That one shift changes everything. Final Thought Sensory overload isn’t a behavior problem—it’s a nervous system in distress. And when we respond with understanding instead of correction, we don’t just stop the moment… We build trust, safety, and long-term regulation.
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Autism societies in Wisconsin have some exciting updates!
Instead of affiliate Autism Societies throughout the state, varying by region, there are now two larger regional autism societies -- Autism United of Wisconsin: Supports Milwaukee and their surrounding counties (Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, Ozaukee, and Washington) Autism Society of Wisconsin: Supports the remainder of the state (see post below for specific chapters that merged) Many of the regional chapters still maintain their Facebook presence, featuring local events. If you are an Autism parent or have a child with any cognitive disability, please subscribe! They provide amazing resources, connect like-minded families to feel supported, and hold many sensory/disability friendly events throughout the year!! Wisconsin offers a valuable program that assists families with a child with a disability – Children’s Community Options Program! Also known as CCOP, this program helps families and youth become more independent by paying (typically reimbursing families) for many supports and services that families can’t get through another source (e.g., private insurance, CLTS, or Medicaid). CCOP may be able to pay for ongoing support or a one time need (note, if the support can be covered by another funding source, it cannot be accessed using CCOP funds). CCOP funds must be used to purchase goods or services that meet or assist a need or outcome on the child’s Individual Service Plan. Common examples of covered goods and services include:
Within the world of disability, wandering is a tremendous concern! Unfortunately, wandering is a dangerous reality that is constantly on the mind of many families with a loved one with a cognitive disability, such as Autism, Down Syndrome, or Alzheimer's Disease.
Project Lifesaver is a nationwide program that assists public safety officials with necessary tools and training to quickly locate individuals with a cognitive disorder who may have wandered from the safety of their caregivers. The Project Lifesaver program is run at the municipal level, typically by county law enforcement agencies. Project Lifesaver provides training to officials that includes training on the use of location equipment, and community policing courses that provide a basic understanding of the cognitive conditions that may lead to a lack of safety awareness and how to best engage with those individuals with a cognitive condition. Project Lifesaver also provides the individual with a disability with a wearable (ankle or wrist) tracking device that law enforcement can use to quickly track the wearer. The tracking device is typically low cost or no cost to county residents. To learn more about Project Lifesaver, visit their website! Check to see if Project Lifesaver is available in your county! Being a parent is a hard job! Being a parent with a special needs child is a hard job! Many days you find there is only so much time in the day and your focus has to be on the fires! What often can fall by the sidelines, to nobody’s fault(!) is the sibling of a special needs child. Siblings of a special needs child can often take on a larger caregiver role in the household, out of pure necessity, or feel a need to be ‘better behaved’ to reduce the demand on their parents.
There is a lot of information out there on things a parent can do to give all their children the attention they need. A few examples include –
Empty tank. Short fuse. Full plate. Bucket overflowing...There are endless ways to describe the feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed!
Adults, kids, teens, and in between, we all handle stress differently. When we feel calm and safe, it’s easier to pause, think things through, and manage challenges. But how do we learn to do that? Sometimes it’s because someone taught us, maybe they talked us through a difficult moment. Other times it’s because we watched how others cope. Those around us can be very powerful models. We may have even seen a t.v. show that provided coaching and guidance through characters and catchy songs (Think magic neighborhood with talking puppets...). For many people though, coping strategies don’t come naturally. They may be “taught” skills like deep breathing or going to a calm space, but in the moment of stress, unexpected changes, or an overwhelming environment, those strategies can be very difficult to access and use, especially if there hasn’t been enough practice to make them feel automatic. That’s where we can step in to help. Practicing or role-playing coping skills during calm moments can help them become more natural and comfortable. Just like we run safety drills, we can do “practice drills” for calming strategies. Turning practice into a game and offering encouragement or small rewards for trying out strategies can strengthen these skills even more. Regular check-ins throughout the day can also make a big difference (Think, “Hey, how are you doing: Thumbs up, down, to the side?”). By noticing early signs of stress or overwhelm, we can encourage our family to use coping tools before the situation escalates, catching a spark before it becomes a fire. Practicing our own strategies when we are calm and comfortable can also help us prepare for those inevitable curve balls our families throw us. In fact, why not take a quick moment now to check in with yourself and practice a coping strategy. Don’t forget a little reward after! Having a child with an Autism diagnosis can leave a family feeling isolated and confined! It can lead to families not exploring the community or having memorable family adventures out of fear of what my child might do! As Autism prevalence has been on the increase, so have resources, specifically in Wisconsin!
One of the wonderful resources that exists are Autism Societies in Wisconsin! The Autism Society of America has 2 technical affiliates and there is an additional affiliate transitioning to become an independent WI resource (still maintaining the same resources as when they were affiliated). Each affiliate services a particular region –
Each affiliate and local chapter provide a number of resources for families affected by Autism, including support groups (in person and/or virtual) for parents, sensory/autism friendly events in various locations (many free for members!), resources for neurotypical siblings, larger resource guides, volunteer opportunities, and a number of programs that are chapter specific! If you are new to the Autism world or been around the block, check out your local chapter! There are some amazing resources right at your fingertips! It’s that time of year again–the kids (and adults!) go back to school! For some of us, this is a blessing but for others, it’s a harsh reality of facing advocacy work, navigating meetings when we feel surrounded by professionals and the unknown of how our child will engage in learning. Many of our children cannot tell us how they feel about going back to school. Many of our children cannot tell us how they like their new classroom or teacher or friends. They just know it’s different and change is hard for all of us.
We thought we would help get ready for school reality with some preparation ideas and a checklist to set the occasion for back to school success! 1. Review your child’s IEP or 504 Plan
Putting out fires is a regular occurrence for parents and caregivers of those with disabilities! There is always something to deal with and it seems like new things are always coming up! With everything that the family is dealing with, isolation can be common. Feeling like you have nobody to talk to who understands or who can give you sound advice is a frequent feeling!
With the boom of technology and social media, there are many options out there that can help you not to feel so alone, without even leaving your home!
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