Monday, March 25, 2024

How To Control Autistic Behaviour

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Advanced Warnings Timers And Countdowns

Handling Aggressive Behavior in Children with Autism

Timers and countdowns give individuals time to prepare for a change and make transitions a gradual process rather than an abrupt ending. Marking transitions and giving advanced warnings helps increase predictability and thus reduces frustration and anxiety.

For instance, scheduling time for play and desired activities can enhance the individuals sense of control and self-regulation. Similarly, having timers set for the length of disliked activities help individuals to know when they will be able to do something they prefer.

Aggression In Children With Autism How To Manage Aggressive Behavior

Aggressive behaviors are common in children with autism spectrum disorder . Many parents who have a child with autism can relate to being concerned over their childs challenging behaviors especially when those behaviors are hurtful toward others or to the child themselves. This can be an unpleasant experience for the child, for their parents, or for anyone else. For the child who is displaying aggression, this type of behavior can be frightening, exhausting, confusing, and stressful. The behavior can also lead the child to miss out on the chance to learn valuable life skills and alternative behaviors. Aggression that isnt addressed in an effective and helpful manner can lead to more such behavior in the future. In this article, we will discuss aggression in children with autism spectrum disorder and how parents can manage it more effectively.

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Problem Behaviors In Children With Autism Can Be Effectively Treated Learn The Types Of Treatments And How They Work

Children with autism spectrum disorder can present problem behaviors in many forms. Your child may show:

These behaviors may be challenging for you and can prevent your child from reaching his full potential. Having a child who engages in problem behavior can make daily tasks such as getting dressed, eating meals or going to the store difficultor even impossible.

While these behaviors can seem overwhelming, you dont have to deal with them alone. You can get effective help to improve your childs behavior.

What type of treatment is available?

Applied behavior analysis is a treatment approach that addresses problem behaviors. For most children, problem behavior serves the purpose of communicating a want or need. For example, some children may hit others to get attention, while others may hit to get out of having to do work. The first step in treating problem behavior is to identify its purpose. Then, a treatment can be developed that may promote a more appropriate way for the child to express himself or get what he needs.

How does treatment work?

Common treatment strategies used in ABA-based interventions include:

  • Reinforcing appropriate behaviors by rewarding them.
  • Refusing to give in to the problem behavior by giving your child what he wants.
  • Using visual supports to communicate rules.
  • Starting with small, achievable goals to encourage success.

Who should you contact for help?

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What Triggers Headbanging

Minshawi also makes the distinction that self-injurious behaviors, such as headbanging in those with autism, is usually classified as a highly repetitive behavior .

She also notes that headbanging can be episodic and triggered by the same stimuli or appear to start of nowhere. Monitoring your child and taking note of what happened right before headbanging can help identify triggers.

Miriam And Raquels Story

Improvement in Autistic Behaviors Following Chiropractic Care ...

She looked me in the eye, grabbed my shoulders and gasped, then hugged me Then she pulled away and looked at me, gasped again, and kissed me. Ill never forget that moment as long as I live.

Raquel had been diagnosed with severe autism at the age of one and a half.

She didnt follow directions. Didnt want to be touched. She didnt speak, listen, or respond to her name. Didnt look into her mothers eyes. She had no emotional connection to her mother, father, even her twin sister.

Raquels mother, Miriam, spent the next three years searching desperately for anything that could improve Raquels quality of life. She tried several forms of therapyphonoaudiology, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, and sensory integration. She changed Raquels diet, so it was free of gluten and casein.

All these efforts helped Raquel show small signs of improvement, but not anything significant. At four and a half years old, doctors still gave Raquel the diagnosis of severe autism.

Life was completely miserable, Miriam said. Raquel suffered from extremely high anxiety. We couldnt go to a mall or a restaurant or the movies. We couldnt even drive with her in the car without the panic attacks and the screaming. My daughter lived in her own little world, and we werent a part of it.

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder : What Is It

If children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , it means they have difficulties with:

  • paying attention for example, they find it hard to concentrate on tasks
  • being hyperactive for example, they find it hard to sit still for long
  • controlling impulses for example, they might say or do things before thinking them through.

Many children have these kinds of difficulties from time to time. In children with ADHD, these difficulties happen most of the time and have a big effect on their daily lives.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is, a problem with the way the brain or nervous system grows. In ADHD, the different parts of the brain dont talk to each other in a typical way. This is why children with ADHD might have more trouble than their peers with thinking, learning, expressing feelings or controlling behaviour.

We dont know exactly what causes ADHD.

Managing Autism Meltdowns Tantrums And Aggression

Having children with autism also puts many families at an economic disadvantage. It is estimated that autism families spend more each year on medical expenses than other typical families do to cover necessary expenses to address behavior concerns, aggression in children, and other case-specific plans.

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Therapies And Supports To Improve Communication And Social Skills

Improved communication and social understanding can lead to lower anxiety and less challenging behaviour in autistic children and teenagers. There are many therapies and supports that might increase your childs skills in these areas, and help you manage your childs behaviour.

A good first step is talking with your childs GP, paediatrician or psychologist, or another health professional who works with your child. They can help you find appropriate therapies and supports for your child. Psychologists, speech pathologists and experienced Applied Behaviour Analysis practitioners can help you with behaviour management if the behaviour continues to be a problem or you need support to deal with it.

Teach Them Coping Strategies Once Theyre Calm

6 Common Autism Behaviors | Autism

There isnt much we can do during a meltdown as far as trying to teach our children coping tools, but when theyre in a peaceful and rested frame of mind, we can definitely work on emotional regulation together.

My son responds really well to nature walks, practicing yoga daily , and deep breathing.

These coping strategies will help them calm down perhaps before a meltdown even when you arent around.

Empathy is at the heart of all of these steps to dealing with an autistic meltdown.

When we look at our childs behavior as a form of communication, it helps us view them as struggling instead of being defiant.

The word defiance can drop from our meltdown vocabulary entirely, replaced by empathy and compassion. And by showing our children compassion, we can more effectively support them through their meltdowns.

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What To Do If Your Child Hits You

Neutral redirection is effective in how to stop an autistic child from hitting. This is an Applied Behavior Analysis technique consisting of replacing a childs aggressive, potentially dangerous behaviors with functional, appropriate behaviors.

With some guidance and gentleness, neutral redirection allows parents to effectively teach their children socially appropriate and safe behaviors, skills that will help them interact with peers, share experiences, and enjoy a higher quality of life. This process begins at treatment centers like Therapeutic Pathways, but can be followed at home.

As a parent or caregiver, heres how you can remediate your childs aggressiveness through neutral redirection:

  • Remain calm. Remember that your childs behavior may be kindled if you give in to their aggression.
  • Prevent your child from making contact with you by moving out of the way.
  • If this is not possible, you may need to protect vulnerable parts of your body.
  • During the process, refrain from speaking to your child , making eye contact with them, or reacting physically .
  • Calmly redirect your child to a different method of communication. For example, if your child usually hits you to get your attention, you can instead instruct them to tap you on the arm and say excuse me.
  • Only give your child direct acknowledgment when they engage in the appropriate behavior. Failing to do so could lead your child to associate aggressiveness with attention and getting what they want.

Behavioral Strategies For Autism: Aba Therapy And Other Approaches

Communication boards, sign language, SGDs, and PECS can all empower a child with ASD to express himself or herself more effectively. However, while these resources can improve a childs communication skills, additional strategies may be needed to address behavior. Three examples of autism behavior management strategies are discussed below, including applied behavior analysis , relationship development intervention , and sensory integration therapy.

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Finding The Right Medication

Shannon Des Roches Rosa, a co-editor of Thinking Persons Guide to Autism, says she first did absolutely everything to address her autistic son Leos violent behavior, including functional behavioral analysis to try to pinpoint his triggers and modify his environment. But by age 8, with Leo breaking TV screens with his fist and posing a danger to family members and himself, Rosa felt she had no choice but to try medication.

She found that, as is often the case, finding the right drug came down to trial and error. She first tried Abilify, an antipsychotic found to reduce irritability and aggression Abilify and Risperdal, another antipsychotic, are the only medications approved by the FDA for the treatment of ASD children. But when Abilify made Leo more anxious, aggressive and a different child, Rosa stopped the drug. She waited for it to get out of Leos system before trying Risperdal.

At this point I was pretty despondent, Rosa says,but the Risperdal did what it said it would do. Suddenly, Leo could just be himself and be comfortable again. Its not clear what we would have done if it hadnt helped him keep control over his aggressive impulses. And its also not clear what we would have done if the drug also made him act unlike himself if it had zombified him, or zeroed out his emotional responses.

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Strategy #: Applied Behavior Analysis

Verbal Behavior

Applied behavior analysis, or ABA, is one of the most widely used therapies for children with autism. The purpose of ABA therapy is to help patients manage and modify certain behaviors, making it easier to overcome social challenges and avoid disruptions to learning.

Most experts recommend that children with ASD receive anywhere from 20 to 40 hours of ABA therapy per week, receiving rewards for positive behaviors while negative behaviors are ignored. ABA techniques can be used at home or in a clinical setting, providing flexibility while offering ample opportunities for children to practice and develop their skills for a real-world setting.

There are several types of ABA certifications that therapists can pursue, depending on their goals and interests. For example, a behavioral analyst who already has his or her masters degree in ABA may wish to take the exam to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst . An alternative is to earn an Autism Certificate , which prepares educators and healthcare professionals to work with children who have ASD, through a program like the Graduate Certificate in Autism at National University.

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Mert Treatment For Autism In The San Francisco Bay Area

Receiving a diagnosis of autism can be overwhelming, but early intervention can be critical to your childs development. Kids dont usually grow out of autism, but they can improve function and quality of life.

MeRT, or Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy, is a high-tech treatment that combines:

  • Electrocardiogram

to analyze and formulate treatments tailored to each patients unique brain pattern.

MeRT evolved from TMS, which was more of a generalized approach for the treatment of autism because it was only able to target a single location in the brain with one frequency. Conversely, MeRT is customized to each individual based on the results of their EEG and tailored to the patients needs as to frequency, location, and the power used.

MeRT is not currently FDA cleared for autism and is considered off-label. However, studies have shown that for many children, it can be instrumental in helping develop skills to function more normally.

Starting As A New Patient For Autism Treatment

Starting as a new patient at Summit Brain Health initially involves two appointments, both of which are about 45 minutes to an hour in length. Your first appointment is when your EEG testing takes place, and the second appointment is when you have your consultation with Dr. Geraci.

At the first appointment, we will collect your new patient paperwork, and our neurotechnician will complete your qEEG and EKG testing. This test is simple and painless it involves placing a cap on your head to measure the electrical activity in your brain and map out any areas which are not performing as they should. A lead is also placed on your chest to capture the EKG data.

We perform this test right in our office, then send the data to our scientists and clinical teams. They, along with Dr. Geraci, carefully analyze the test results to identify any dysregulation occurring in the brain. Based on their analysis, we develop a treatment plan customized to your specific condition and schedule your assessment period of treatment.

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When A Particular Person Is Targeted

If a particular family member or support worker seems to be the target for challenging behaviour, think about what might be triggering it. It might be that a perfume scent is overwhelming, or that the other person is associated with a distressing activity.

Maybe the person is upset when the support worker or family member spends time with other people. If so, you could try scheduling some time specifically for them to spend together and showing this on a visual timetable. Very strict boundaries need to be kept as to when this will happen and for how long. It may be useful to have a sand timer so that the person knows that the time is up when the sand runs out.

There may simply a personality clash between the person and a staff member. If this may be the case, consider whether this staff member could work with other people instead?

Theres A Difference Between Forcing Behaviors And Encouraging Independence

Autism and Demand Avoidance (managing the need for control including ODD and PDA)

Ive learned from experience that trying to force independence is counterintuitive, whether or not your child is autistic.

When we push a child, especially one prone to anxiety and rigidity, their natural instinct is to dig their heels in and hold on tighter.

When we force a child to face their fears, and I mean screaming-on-the-floor petrified, like Whitney Ellenby, the mother who wanted her autistic son to see Elmo, we arent actually helping them.

If I was forced into a room full of spiders, I would probably be able to detach from my brain at some point to cope after about 40 hours of screaming. That doesnt mean I had some kind of breakthrough or success in facing my fears.

I also assume Id store those traumas and theyd invariably be triggered later in my life.

Of course, pushing independence isnt always as extreme as the Elmo scenario or a room full of spiders. All of this pushing falls on a spectrum ranging from encouraging a hesitant child to physically forcing them into a scenario that has their brain screaming danger.

When we let our children get comfortable at their own pace and they finally take that step of their own volition, true confidence and security grows.

That said, I understand where the Elmo mom was coming from. We know our kids would enjoy whatever activity if they would just try it.

We want them to feel joy. We want them to be brave and full of confidence. We want them to fit in because we know what rejection feels like.

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Strategy #: Using A Picture Exchange Communication System

Similar to a communication board, a Picture Exchange Communication System uses images to represent thoughts and requests. Through the use of PECS, children with ASD can quickly and efficiently communicate specific needs, whether to their therapists, their family members, or to others.

  • Pros PECS has been shown to promote small to moderate gains in communication, according to some research. Additionally, other studies have noted that the first three stages of PECS are effective to highly effective in teaching children to request preferred items. PECS may also help children successfully adjust to using speech generating devices , which well discuss later.
  • Cons Unlike a homemade communication board, a PECS may offer a limited range of images for children to choose from.

What Is A Meltdown

A meltdown is an intense response to an overwhelming situation. It happens when someone becomes completely overwhelmed by their current situation and temporarily loses control of their behaviour.This loss of control can be expressed verbally ,physically or in both ways.

A meltdown is not the same as a temper tantrum. It is notbad or naughty behaviour. When a person is completely overwhelmed, and their condition means it is difficult to express that in another way, it is understandable that the result is a meltdown.

Meltdowns are not the only way an autistic person may express feeling overwhelmed.They may also refuse to interact, withdrawing from situations they find challenging or avoiding them altogether.

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