HOW TO HANDLE COMMON BEHAVIORAL ISSUES WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER BROUGHT TO YOU BY BEHAVIOR TREND!

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Essie's Journey teamed up with Behavior Trend to get some answers on common behaviors that are associated with ASD and how to handle them. Behavior Trend is an amazing organization that provides cutting-edge Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), behavioral Consulting, Special Education, and other Specialized Programs and Groups such as Potty Training and Social Skills Groups. They only utilize Evidence-Based Practices. 

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Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit many behaviors their family, teachers, and other supporters find challenging. At the same time, those individuals often find the world at large a challenge, and the behavior of the people in it perplexing. What are the behaviors and ways of taking in the outside world that distinguish a person with an ASD from his or her “typical” peers? Although these will vary according to the severity of a person’s autism and their age, there are core issues that affect most people with an autism spectrum disorder. In this section we explore each of these topics.

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SELF INJURY: Every child is different, so the intensity of self-injury can vary. The most common self-injury we see is self inflicted wounds on the thigh or head area. Another type of self inflicted injury we see is scratching, pinching, or biting themselves. There can be many reasons as to why the child behaves this way. For example, if a child has a headache and is having a difficult time communicating it, the child may engage in hitting his or her head to soothe the pain. Other times children may display this behavior  to receive attention (usually self-injury is alarming so it’s a behavior for sure that many adults attend to) and lastly, the child may want to escape something they don’t want to do!

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HARMING OTHERS: Kids on the spectrum are so sweet! They want hugs, kisses,

and tickles. Usually when we see kids hitting others or harming others, they are not
doing it to intentionally hurt someone. They want to communicate and are unable to do so. They find that hitting someone might get them something faster or it may get the attention of the person they are hitting faster. This is usually common when kids are playing with toys and have difficulty sharing, or when they are told “no” to something they want to have in their possession.

NOISE SENSITIVITY: Very common for those on the spectrum! The most common
culprits are hand dryers in public restrooms (who even likes these?) vacuums, and the
sound of electricity. But, each child might have unique sensitivities. Usually you will
notice that your child does not like a certain sound because they will either cover their
ears or hold their head.

MELTDOWNS : My favorite to help eliminate! This is very common in almost every child under the age of 3. After the age of 3, meltdowns should rarely occur. Meltdowns can be anything from fake (or real) crying, flopping to the floor, kicking, and screaming. These are not directed towards someone but an episode of a ‘tantrum’. This might also sometimes include throwing anything in sight from toys to furniture.

MOOD INSTABILITY : Sudden and frequent changes in moods may require further assessments. It’s not uncommon for children on the spectrum to have co-morbid issues like anxiety and depression. If you notice any frequent and sudden changes in mood (for example, goes from laughing to crying) make sure to seek an additional evaluation from a psychologist.

SENSORY ISSUES : Very common! We’ve worked with kids who hate having their
hands dirty to kids who love it! We have kids who have an urge to remove any clothing
that gets wet, and other kids love playing with water and they don't mind staying in wet clothes. Some kids on the spectrum love playing with bean/rice bucks, sand, and other tactile toys while other kids might even gag at the sight of these. Sometimes these are reflected in other areas like eating behavior. You might notice your child prefers certain textures of foods. It’s very common that kids on the spectrum love carbs (who doesn’t right?), but they might gag at the sight of foods that have different non-crunchy/breaded textures like bananas, yogurt, pudding, leafy vegetables, and soup.

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1. How Can Parents Seek and Avoid Sensory Issues

Sensory issues could be sensitivity to light or certain environments. Sunglasses or hats/visors are great for blocking out light. Some of these might require getting used to. However, once your child makes the connection that a hat or sunglasses blocks out the light, you will notice their tolerance to having these accessories on. Remember to start this by taking baby steps. We can’t expect children to go from not wearing hats to wearing a hat all day. Start with 1 minute at a time. Reward your child for keeping their hat on. Over time, you should increase the time required to keep the hat on until they can wear it for the amount of time you would like them to do so. Also, try different bulbs with different levels of strength if you notice the light sensitivity is due to inside lighting.
 

Many kids on the spectrum have a hard time getting their teeth checked by the dentist
or even getting a haircut. Take baby steps with these as well. Something we love to do here at Behavior Trend is pretend play going to these places. We try to make it as real as possible- the chair, the bibs, the sensations they will feel like getting water sprayed on your hair at the hairdressers, and even the sound of a clippers/razor. Start these at
home. Once your child has mastered this at home, its time to do quick visit practices.
This would look like going into the office, sitting for a few minutes or checking out the
place, and then leaving and rewarding your child for a great successful trip! Once your
child is comfortable with this, they might be ready for the full visits. Don’t hesitate to
contact the salon or dentist’s office and ask to practice some of the skills without having an actual appointment. You will be surprised how many of them are totally fine with it! And practice, practice, practice!

If you are receiving ABA services, make sure to bring these up to your Board Certified
Behavior Analyst (BCBA) as a priority goal to work on. Here at Behavior Trend, we have
done many programs like this and have gone to these visits with families.

2. What to do when my kid becomes sensitive to noise.

Headphones! They look cool, are age-appropriate (no matter what age), and your child
can hear their favorite song! I always say prepare! You never know what noise your
child might be sensitive to. Doesn’t hurt to have a pair in the car.
 

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3. How can I avoid and handle Meltdowns or Mood instability.

We never want to avoid a meltdown. Just like in life, when things happen, we want to
address it. There are 3 main reason’s a child might have a meltdown. One might be that they just purely want your attention. Another might be because you said no to
something they wanted or they are having a hard time communicating what they want. The last one might be because they want to do something like clean their room or go to bed. Once you figure out the ‘why’, then you can start to think of the ways to handle the meltdown. A few things to try before a meltdown is giving choices and making expectations clear and sticking to them. Kids love to feel like they are in control and giving choices offers this to them.

4. SELF INJURY or becoming aggressive and harming other kids.

Safety is always priority. Your first response would be to get everyone to safety.
Depending on your comfort level and the amount of injury that is caused, you might
consider things like a helmet. Other things you can try are pillows and cushions or even things like knee pads or thick clothing to block the biting/pinching. But most importantly, you have to find out why your child is doing this. Make sure you eliminate pain as the cause of your child’s self-injury. Take your child to a checkup with their pediatrician if you notice that they might be hitting one particular area more than usual or if you notice any bruising or bleeding.

When it comes to hurting others, make sure you are working on teaching skills like
waiting, asking for a turn, and the like. Don’t wait until the incident happens to work on
these. Take time to teach them these vital skills. If you notice your child hits others to
get your attention, you are going to have to try your best to not overreact to the incident. Make sure to provide a lot of attention when they are playing nicely and not doing these behaviors.

5. Socially inappropriate behavior

- Taking their clothes off
- Spitting
- Yelling
- Other behaviors
 

Again, comes down to the why. Do they not like the tag in the back of their clothes?
Could you cut off the tags or buy tag-less clothing? Is it because their clothes got wet
after they washed their hands? If so, get them accustomed to being ok with this slowly –2 seconds, then 5 second, etc. Most importantly, if you are deadline with any of these
behaviors, make sure to reach out. Look for an ABA services. These are not uncommon behaviors and those who have been doing this for years have seen these behaviors and helped decrease these behaviors.

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For more information on Behavior Trend, visit their website at https://www.behaviortrend.com/.