Behavioral Challenges in Autism

Many parents of children with autism are confused about which behaviors they need to address and which they don't, and become overwhelmed as a result. I am listing the most common behaviors observed in children with autism under two categories - behaviors that need to be addressed and behaviors that don’t need to be addressed.

Behaviors that put the child or others at risk need to be addressed. These include:

Medically challenging behaviors - food refusal, eating non-food items, splashing urine, smearing faeces, self-harming, walking on toes.

Physically challenging behaviors - hitting, biting, scratching, pinching, kicking, pulling hair, head-banging, throwing things.

Psychologically challenging behaviors - tantrums, meltdowns, phobias, obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Socially challenging behaviors - removing clothes in public, touching themselves inappropriately, touching others inappropriately.

Behaviors that don't put the child or others at risk don't need to be addressed. These include:

Repetitive and self-stimulatory behaviours such as flapping hands, flicking fingers, rocking back and forth, jumping on toes, spinning, lining up toys, making sounds, repeating words and phrases, self-talk, giggling, laughing, playing in unique ways.

Addressing Challenging Behaviors

In order to address a challenging behavior, you need to first identify the cause of the behavior.

Even if two children are displaying the same behavior, the cause for the behavior can be completely different, and the strategy for addressing the behavior will be different based on the cause of the behavior.

For this reason, asking another parent what they did to address their child's behaviour may not necessarily help you address your child's behavior as the cause for the behavior in the two children could be completely different.

To give you an example, one child might be hitting because of sensory processing issues. Another child might be hitting because of emotional regulation issues. The two will need completely different strategies for resolving the behavior.

In order to find the root cause of your child's challenging behavior, you need to become a behavior detective. Your child's behavioral and occupational therapist will help with this by asking you to fill an ABC chart, wherein you will be observing your child's behavior over a period of time and noting down precipitating factors. This will help you find out the root cause of the behavior and enable you to address it.

Love,

Preeti

DISCLAIMER: Please note that I am neither a doctor, a therapist, or a special educator. I am the mother of a young adult with special needs. Everything I write is based on my personal experiences with my son and should not be taken as or in place of professional advice.