Meltdown vs. Tantrum: The Difference Every Parent Needs to Know You’re in the store. Your child’s screaming. Everyone’s staring — and someone mutters, “That kid needs discipline.” But here’s what they don’t understand 👇 That’s not a tantrum. It’s a meltdown. A tantrum is want-based. A meltdown is overload-based. One is control — the other is collapse. For many autistic or sensory-sensitive kids, their brain isn’t being “difficult.” It’s drowning in input — noise, lights, transitions, frustratio