Remember Me
forgot your password?

Tips For Coping With Aggression In Your Autistic Child

One of the common symptoms in children with autism is aggressive behavior. Aggression can occur in many different ways. Physical aggression can be directed toward you, other children, the child him or herself, or even toward inanimate objects. Furthermore, aggression in autistic children isn't limited to physical behaviors but also extends to verbal aggression too.

Whether physical or verbal, aggression in an autistic child can be very upsetting and potentially dangerous. For this reason, autistic children who display aggressive symptoms require more supervision in order to prevent them from injuring others or themselves.

Naturally, parents don't want to simply let this aggression continue and have to deal with it as it occurs. Therefore, efforts are being made on many levels to discover different ways to cope with aggression in autistic children and to decrease or at least curb its incidence.

Often, the first options to reduce aggression suggested by doctors is medication - particularly if the aggressive episodes seem especially hazardous to the child or those around him or her. Keep in mind that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved any medication that specifically treats autism. However, success has been witnessed in using drugs designated for other conditions in order to lessen the aggressive symptoms of autism.

It should be noted, though, that every individual reacts differently to medications, and while some children may respond very well to a certain dose of a drug, others will have a completely different reaction. The process is highly individualized and takes careful observation, measurement, and work with a health care professional in order to avoid any of the potential side effects or interactions.

Recently, it has been the anti-psychotic medications - specifically those which have been approved for schizophrenia treatments - that have produced the most favorable results in autism aggression reduction. For example, a 2002 study called "Risperidone in Children with Autism and Serious Behavioral Problems" (McCracken, J.T, M.D., McGough, J, M.D, et al.), published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examined the impact of Risperdal (Risperidone) on aggression in children with autism. At the end of this 8 week study, 69 percent of the children given Risperdal were said to have either "much improved" or "very much improved", in comparison to only 12 percent within the placebo group.

However, many parents do not wish to medicate - or further medicate - their children with anti-psychotic drugs. These drugs do come with potential negative side effects and can be dangerous if overdosed. Therefore, alternatives are often sought. Working with your child's doctor can be very important in this process. To try to alter behavior, parents should pay very close attention to exactly what is happening before and during an aggressive episode. It is important to try and identify trends that lead to an outburst of aggression.

For example, some parents find that their children will suddenly become upset while having their teeth brushed. There are many activities that go on during tooth brushing and each should be considered when assessing what caused the aggressive reaction. Is it opening the mouth wide? Is it the feeling of bristles against the teeth, gums, cheek, roof of the mouth, or tongue? Has the toothbrush gone in too far and hit the gag reflex? Is saliva pooling near the back of the mouth (causing a drowning sensation)? Is it drooling? Is it the smell, texture, or taste of the toothpaste? Is it the foaming of the toothpaste? Is it the sensation of spitting or swallowing saliva and toothpaste?

Every element needs to be examined and tested to see if the situation can be improved. For example, trying different kinds of toothbrushes with softer bristles, a different shaped head, or different textured bristles, or different flavors of toothpaste or gels. Different brushing techniques should also be tried to avoid various sensations, and saliva levels in the mouth should be carefully monitored.

Similarly, other children react not to a sensory sensitivity, but as a result of feeling upset or frustrated from something that they cannot verbalize. For example, a child who tries to tie his or her shoes but who has not yet developed the skills with which to do so might feel very frustrated and become unable to express the root of the frustration and instead react aggressively. When under stress, speaking clearly can be a huge challenge for autistic children and they often revert to the behaviors of younger children instead of saying what they want.

It should also be considered that if aggression has suddenly developed or worsened, there might be an allergic reaction to foods, environmental conditions, medications or a change in home or school environment. Drugs may have potential side effects including aggression. They may also interact with other drugs being taken by the child. Furthermore, seasonal allergies or food allergies may cause discomforts in an autistic child to which he or she is very sensitive and cannot properly verbalize, leading to aggressive behaviors. It is important to examine all possibilities to root out the problem.

The most important thing to remember once your child has become aggressive is for you and those around you to stay calm and talk quietly.

If appropriate, remove objects that your child could hurt themselves or others with. Ask other people present to leave the room or give your child space, but make sure you or another responsible adult stays. Never leave your child alone.

Should your child be in an appropriate environment try to avoid saying anything as this can be inflammatory and can prolong the aggressive behavior. By staying calm and quiet your child may stop their behavior more quickly.

Of course, it is also possible for a child to be displaying autistic symptoms and traits without truly being autistic at all. It is important to make certain that a misdiagnosis has not occurred by considering alternative mental disorders that can present with the same or similar behaviors.

Rachel Evans
Grab your free copy of Rachel Evans' brand new Autism Newsletter - Overflowing with easy to implement methods to help you and your family find out about how to cope with autism aggressive behavior.
Rate this Article: 5 / 5 stars - 1 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish

Add new Comment



Captcha
0
1. Debbie Graff (22:41, 23.09.2008)
My 14 year old son who has PPD has really shown aggressive behaviors in the last year. He uses PECS,functional sign and a dynovox.He has always been active but, is hitting others at church when we take him into sunday school..This just started hitting others. Usually, it was his sisters or myself.Pulling hair. Im so concerned now because,of what is happening in public to take him out. He is in public school and does well. No behaviors..Im so frustrated on how to help...

  • Latest Health Articles
  • More from Rachel Evans

What Factors Contribute to Osteoporosis?

By: Nealoren | 10/11/2009
Osteoporosis is the problem related to the bones. As the name of the disease suggests it means porous bones. The bones become porous and cause osteoporosis. Many old people are noted to be suffering with the osteoporosis.

Liposom Review - How To Lose Weight Naturally

By: Chris Fenton | 10/11/2009
Do you want to wake up with less weight? You can, with Liposom. This unique weight loss formula is a blend of natural plant ingredients like green tea, gymnema leaf, yerba mate leaf, guarana seed, nopal cactus, amino acids, eleuthero, royal jelly, garcinia fruit extract.

Grow Taller After Puberty - Alternative Health An Overview

By: Pinki Gupta | 10/11/2009
Alternative Health: An Overview---Building an Alternative Health Following---Despite the fact that alternative health techniques buy not been clinically proven

What Low-Fat Oil You Should Use to Lose Weight?

By: Seomul Evans | 10/11/2009
Unsaturated fat, on the hand, is healthy. Fats are a direct conception of one's fasting as greasy acids or lipids are storehouses of forcefulness for the body. While that is true, it doesn't stingy it won't discernment good. Fat and Vitamins Fat is thence a direct conception of our regular diet. People...

How To Lose Weight Naturally Fast - Liposom

By: Chris Fenton | 10/11/2009
Most people find losing weight a great challenge. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With some simple changes in your lifestyle, you will be able to lose weight fast and naturally.

Do Vegetarian Recipes Contain Enough Vitamins and Proteins?

By: Seomul Evans | 10/11/2009
It seems that people went to two camps - vegetarians and non vegetarians. There is literally thousands of delicious vegetarian recipes meat. Before that, under the intention of driving, what measures should be vegetarians. The important basis of the differences between vegetarians and non vegetarians is the activity - or the...

Can You Follow a Vegetarian Diet and Get Enough Vitamin B12?

By: Seomul Evans | 10/11/2009
Though vegetables are broadly high in fiber, vitamins and minerals, meats are known to be protein-rich. However, vegetarian recipes that include sufficient pulses, nuts and milk will give you the required proteins you body needs to produce as much as the required 2,500 calories every day. These are amino acids...

How to Handle Autism Anger in the Teenage Years

By: Rachel Evans | 25/11/2008 | Parenting
Teens with autism can sometimes be faced with behaviors - such as autism anger - which are beyond their control. Anger can occur in many forms but often takes the shape of violence or tantrums. When it comes to handling uncontrolled anger, it is typically recommended that whenever possible,...

Spotlight on Autism Parents - Maintaining Balance in Your Other Relationships

By: Rachel Evans | 25/11/2008 | Parenting
Autism parents don't have it easy. You are faced with many more challenges than parents of children without autism do. However, in all of the efforts you are making to take good care of your child, it's easy to forget that you need to maintain a healthy balance...

Autism and School Aged Children Making Education a Positive Experience

By: Rachel Evans | 27/10/2008 | Education
Autism and school are becoming a hot topic for school boards and parent groups right across the country and around the world. This is because the occurrence of autism in children is increasing at an alarming rate. Educators today are seeing an exponentially higher number of autistic children...

Coping With Autism and OCD

By: Rachel Evans | 17/10/2008 | Health
After yet another display of lining up toys or endlessly performing the same behavior over and over it's not unusual for parents to wonder if their child may have not one but two disorders - autism and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). OCD is a neurological disorder that causes obsessive thoughts and...

Suffering From an Autism Food Allergy?

By: Rachel Evans | 23/09/2008 | Health
An autism food allergy is a very serious problem. In fact, autism induced by allergies has recently been identified and occurs when a child's diet influences his or her autism symptoms. The children who are at the highest risk of an impact from an autism food allergy are...

What an Increase in Stimming May Indicate About Your Current Treatment For Autism

By: Rachel Evans | 16/09/2008 | Health
As parents work to find effective treatments for autism, many of the usual symptoms their children display will continue. In the majority of cases, this often includes some form of 'stimming'. Stimming is an extremely common autism symptom that includes certain repeated behaviors or movements. These behaviors...

Autistic Disorder - One Term Many Meanings

By: Rachel Evans | 16/09/2008 | Health
Though autistic disorder is often thought of as a single condition, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in fact refers to five different kinds of autism. When most people think about autism, they're only thinking about one type - the kind they saw in the movie Rainman - and don't realize that...

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup
Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.21, 1, w1)