Are "meltdowns" the new word for "tantrums?

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Lately I have been seeing the word meltdown for kids in parenting. Online, in magazines and today I got a new Parents magazine in the mail and yes it had on the cover "No more meltdowns." Back in the days they were called tantrums. Now they are being replaced by "meltdowns." Makes me wonder if it's a new word for it than kids having genuine meltdowns than tantrums.

A tantrum is an act of getting what the child wants.

A meltdown is an emotion, or a bunch of emotions that can't be controlled.

Maybe the parenting experts are trying to be politically correct, as well.

Was the parenting magazine about children in general, or children on the spectrum?

I have heard that too. I think parents make themselves feel better by saying its a meltdown rather than a tantrum. That way, they can convince themselves that its a normal response and they don't need to take any accountability to change the behavior of the child.

I think they're very similar.

I suppose you could argue that tantrums are used by little kids to get something, whereas meltdowns don't really have a reason, unless you count escaping from the source of stress.

Either way, it's not a constructive way to respond to anything, so I think neither should be acceptable.

Last edited by Lene on 13 Mar 2010, 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If so, that would be odd.

When I think "tantrum" I think of kicking, screaming, and uncontrollable anger.

When I think "meltdown" I think of something similar to the experience I had before entering a mental hospital where I could barely function in normal society because I was so depressed. Like, I barely wanted to wake up because I would have to face another day style depressed. This happened when I was 22 years old.

I hope "meltdown" does not replace "tantrum" and if children are have "meltdowns" like I had, then wow, something is seriously wrong with the world today!

Children in general.

I am just concerned is all. I hate it when people misuse words but I don't know if I am wrong or not. Then pretty soon when people hear "meltdown" they will think "tantrum." That's what happens when people use fancy words for things.

Than I think that they're trying to be politically correct.

I think you're right to be concerned.This is the reason so many people think depression means having a bad day.

Tantrum = throwing a fit to get what you want

Meltdown = simply not coping from fear, stress, overload etc

Really?

I thought everyone got depressed and then they get over it but with the real thing, people don't get over it so they have to take pills for it. I guess I fell into that trap because it was being misused and I had no idea so whenever someone say they are depressed, I thought they were down in the dumps because some thing is bothering them. That's how I learned the word "depression" growing up.

Well, at this point I guess both are true. The word depression has been used so often for down in the dumps it's accepted for common usage. The downside is if someone who is really suffering is dismissed because people take the word to mean a temporary low mood. The same would apply to tantrums/meltdowns if someone who was having a meltdown was perceived as just being bratty.

And I bet a truly depressed person isn't taken that seriously when they say they are depressed. Instead people try and cheer them up and think they can get rid of their depression if they solve that issue and bam they are over it. Or people ask them what is wrong and egg them about something has to be bothering them or else they wouldn't be depressed.

Would it be a good idea to write to the magazines editor and explain the word actual meaning? I mean, the word was not used correctly and they could have a note explaining that it was wrongly used. Couldn't they? Or am I incorrect with this?

The only thing I have done (my frend
has depression) is make a fart noise
or something that makes him smile
and he says when I do these things
it makes his world a little less miserable,
that means quite a lot to me, as I think
I am no help to anyone most of the
time, it is good to be reminded that I
can help someone, even if a little, sometimes.

I think I can never keep up with political
correct, I have always called them tantrums,
the thing that happens to me I call it a malfunction
or "getting unstable" before I started calling
them tantrums, it is a malfunction that
happens when people are mean to me,
depends on how mean, mean enough and
I scream, kick things, call names (probably
meaningless to growedups because my name
calling is usually poopyface or butt face or
stupid old poopyhole). Milder tantrums I
have I might just blow a razzberrie or
call someone a poopyface or burp loudly
at them on purpose.

It is the worse ones that I hate it when
I have them I think those are what is
called meltdowns, when I have a malfunction.

Other times, I don't know what it is called
when I go into robot mode, if someone is
either not that mean or I am in a different
operating mode, I will go suddenly cold and
ente3r a purely logical state of operation
and I am told I speak like a robot or a vulcan
or a computer, I wish it would just go into
robot mode instead that way I wood be less
likely to get in trubble, it wood be just that
I act weird but not harm anything.

I think that people are using the word "meltdown" in place of the word "tantrum" even though they're not the same thing. I'm a grown adult, but I get incredibly overwhelmed & have meltdowns on occasion because of that. These are not things that I can control, or at least it certainly doesn't feel like it, or I haven't learned how to yet. But tantrums are not the same thing. Tantrums are purposefully acted by the child to get what they want &/or to get the attention they don't otherwise get from their parents. A lot of parents either think that they are the same thing or prefer to use the word because they think it makes them look better if their kids are having "meltdowns" than if they're having "tantrums".

I think it is especially important for the parent of an AS child to understand the difference. A child probably is unaware that he is being overloaded and can't communicate it to the parent. Parents have to realize that their child may not be able to handle what an NT child can as far as sensory overload.