#honestly though? get Alex a high quality weighted vest and I think it would chill him out significantly

[knickynoo]

As someone who both deals with sensory overload as a result of being on the spectrum and an avid Ellex shipper, any headcanons on Ellen helping Alex when he's feeling overwhelmed?

Oh, Ellen would handle it so well. There are so many moments between her and Alex that show how attentive and understanding she is of the way Alex thinks and feels, and she's great at slowing him down and guiding him through his emotions.

And Alex has a lot of very obvious "tells" when he's getting overwhelmed—he starts stammering and gets all out of breath, there's the rocking and the hand-wringing and just general jumpiness. Actually, this ask made me recall something from the Family Ties "Alex Gets the Business" book because there's a scene where Alex gets overwhelmed and nearly has a panic attack in the middle of the mall while he's there with Ellen (he's VERY stressed during the majority of the story lol). There's an inner monolgue where he's telling himself to calm down, a mention that it's hard for him to look Ellen in the eyes, and he has to step aside and do some deep breathing to calm down. Ellen knows something is wrong and tries to get him to talk to her, but he changes the topic to distract her.

Anyway, it's a lot like how I imagine the situation would actually go down. I think whatever they're currently doing would stop, and Ellen would get him somewhere quieter and then feel the rest of it out. Maybe she could get him to talk, but knowing Alex, he'd just need time and space to steady himself, and Ellen would know that. Later on, if she felt it was needed, she'd talk to him about whatever happened and help him break it down (because we know Alex is always utterly bewildered by his own emotions and reactions to things.)

Ugh, this is another reason why they needed to be endgame—and in my headcanons, they were. I can see in the long-term, Ellen really being able to help Alex learn more about himself and become better equipped to handle things that would otherwise overwhelm or upset him. Be more accepting of his emotions. There was a good deal of growth in the season he was with her, and it's a shame it couldn't continue.

Thanks for the ask!