DR RADICA MAHASE
“My ten-year-old autistic son was becoming more and more aggressive. He couldn’t focus in school. He started lashing out at his teacher. He would push the children. The school asked us to take him for behavioural therapy and only bring him back when he was behaving better.
"For an entire year we took him for therapy and the therapist was really patient with him, she tried to figure out what was causing the change in his behaviour and why he was becoming more aggressive. It turned out that he has some problems with his teeth and he was in pain. He is non-verbal and he became frustrated when he couldn’t say what was wrong and how he was feeling. His behaviour was triggered by the pain. We sorted out the teeth and figured out how to manage the pain and after that he was settled again. We didn’t have any issues with behaviour and he has been doing well.
“It was a rough time for us because we were seeing our child changing right there before our eyes and we felt helpless. The doctor said that if his behaviour got worst then he would have to go on medication but both my husband and I agreed that medication would be the last resort. We didn’t want to give our son any long-term medication to keep him calm, unless we had no other options.”
Many individuals who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder may display challenging behaviours at some point in their lives. It is especially challenging for parents and caregivers who see changes in behaviour, where the child is becoming more unsettled, more aggressive and even violent. Once changes in behaviours are evident, it is important to find the triggers. What is causing this particular behaviour? Is it a change in environment? Is it a health issue? Understanding the trigger is the first step to helping the child.
One therapist notes that, “Autistic children might behave aggressively or hurt themselves because they have trouble understanding what’s happening around them – for example, what other people are saying or communicating non-verbally; they have difficulty communicating their own wants and needs; they are very anxious and stressed; they have sensory sensitivities, like an over-sensitivity to noise or a need for stimulation or they want to escape from stressful situations or activities.”
[caption id="attachment_999510" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Various therapies can teach self-regulation and help with behaviour. - courtesy Rahul's Clubhouse[/caption]
Once you can understand what’s causing the behaviour then you can put things in place to help your child self regulate; help him/her to better cope with the issues. According to Temple Grandin, self-regulation is “the skill of managing feelings so that they don’t reach overwhelming levels and interfere with learning and development. Many people on the spectrum need support as they struggle to manage their emotions and mitigate their anxiety.” Various forms of therapy can help with self-regulation. Also, parents and caregivers can look at things such as the environment in which
