Are Meltdowns anxiety?

I was asking one of my friends if she felt that meltdowns were anxiety from her experiences?  You see, Johnathan was bad with meltdowns in his past, then we had sone years that were (comparatively) free of them and now he is having more.

The fact that Johnathan’s meltdowns subsided a bit I guess, shows that they don’t always remain constant.  And the length of them has changed.  Well, actually, I don’t know if that’s true.  I think probably because the behaviour during the meltdowns have changed.

Meltdowns happen when things are/seem to be wrong.  And to someone there that doesn’t know the person, they can think there was no provocation for it to happen.  However, they don’t know the reason/s for the explosion.

There are days when if the person on the spectrum is tired, or hungry or in pain or something slightly bugging them, they will react quicker, just as we all will do.  And things that they would normally pass over, winds them up and they have a meltdown.

And although I am more patient than I was, when Johnathan starts to have a meltdown I get frustrated quickly because he isn’t listening to me!  I forget the fact that when he’s like this he can’t hear the words I’m saying.

It’s not always easy to get through to someone having a meltdown.  Somehow you have to find a way to make sure they can hear you and not only listen to what you say but words themselves and their meaning.  And whatever happens during the meltdown, it is necessary to be sure not only they but everyone around is safe as well.

Every meltdown has a reason or purpose behind it.  And from much experience now, I can say each one is slightly different, although each one is essentially the same.  However, they do change as a child gets older and bigger.  

Meltdowns are difficult to deal with at the best of times, but if you know the person, I know you will be able to stop and think of different things that might help them.  And  they will respond to each person and each method of helping them differently.

I have been wondering if it’s anxiety that causes the meltdowns or something else or a combination of factors.  What do you think?