My son has just started in-home therapy. I'm not there during their sessions - I can be too much of a distraction. Yesterday my son had his first melt down. His worker called me up telling me "He's trashing the place!"
In the kitchen I keep a drawer filled with empty plastic bags that I get from the grocery store. I always keep it open just a bit so my son can see the bags. It's a target for him - he'll pull them out and throw them around if he gets really mad. Better than throwing dishes.
But his worker had never seen this technique. I guess most kids are taught to punch a pillow or something, so he was pretty freaked out.
When I heard the call, I was freaked out, too. But afterwards, knowing my son is just fine and he'd calmed down within 10 minutes, I just can't get it out of my head - "He's trashing the place!" Hilarious! If you can't cry, you've just got to laugh...