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.
(ArticlesBase SC #434390)
Autism, Hearing Tests and Speech Delay
Shiley Pollak AuD discusses Autism and speech delay (04:33)
Autism and Audiogical Therapies
Shirley Pollak AuD CCC-A F-AAA (05:50)
Autism: What Is It (Part 3)
Joanne E. Gerenser Ph.D. Speech and Lanuage Pathology DrMDK.com (02:09)
Autism: What Is It (Part 1)
Joanne E. Gerenser Ph.D. Speech and Lanuage Pathology DrMDK.com (04:59)
How to Help Children with Autism
This health video focus' on helping children who suffer with autism. (01:36)
Autism is a type of bio neurological disorder that tends to affect the ability of a person to interact socially & communicate in an effective manner. There are several symptoms that would suggest you a child with Autism. The symptoms vary from one individual to the other. However, there is a common connection between the core symptoms in the areas you can read about here.
There is an estimation of three to six of very 1,000 children have autism. Autism is a brain disorder associated with developmental problems mainly in communication and social interaction. The disorder affects boys more often than girls. Signs of this disorder usually appear before age 3. Diagnosis and treatment has greatly...
Medical personnel often use evaluation tools to determine the types of symptoms in a patient and these symptoms' relationship with those the are rampant surrounded by autistic individuals. Often, a top notch appearing point is a checklist that can vital out the presence of symptoms of a larger amount of conditions. One such checklist is provided that underneath to help parents determine if such a kids show the classical symptoms of autism.
Part of the treatment plan for autism can include medication. This is a list of the different types of medication a person can take.
Autism is a severe developmental disorder that begins at birth or within the first two-and-a-half years of life. Most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors which are markedly different from those of typical children.
Parents suspect an abnormality in their children’s development around 18months but see a doctor at the age of 2 of the child and the autistic disorder s only diagnosed at about 3-4 years when the child patient a lack of communication skills
No parent wants to contemplate who their child may be having from autism, a devastating developmental disorder that is prepared to effect a good deal more than one in 150 children in the United States. The affliction is knew to affect children from birth or the very principally few months of life, and primarily results in an abnormal development in the districts of slang and communication, activities, and social interaction.
There are several ailments that seem to be simple but if ignored, they become chronic. A notable ailment of this category is Tonsil stones or tonsilloliths. Though several medication are invented, nothing is strong or efficient enough to give a permanent relief.
Choosing a fast weight loss plan to eliminate your stomach excess fat is not a difficult mission. Nevertheless, you must know where to look for. Below is a write-up that may offer you the option to the easiest way you can reduce your abdomen excessive fat in 2 weeks period!
Are you ashamed of revealing your heels in public? Do you feel there is a need of a complete solution for your cracked heels? The heels are really the foundation of the body, you have to find a great product to get rid of several cracked heels. The pain that you go through is really a huge obligation and you have to control the pain and the cracking of the heel with the use of ointment or creams like Heels So Soft.
The breathing exercise that we propose is simple and controls the constant practice of involuntary inhalation and breath through the understanding and regulating the process. It has a great beneficial effect on the physical and mental health.
Intense training takes less time, the results happen faster and it's simple to do. A perfect combo for those who are busy and need to lose weight fast!
There are various weight loss programs involving special diets or drugs which claim to be effective but can have serious side effects. This article outlines a natural way to solve weight loss problems.
Excessive sweating can make a handshake an embarrassing and dreaded event. Wearing shoes without socks or changing bedsheets at night, become part of your routines.
Nuclear medicine is the advanced technology invented for the diagnosis of all those patients who are suffering from cardiovascular disease or any other serious ailment. Unlike the X-rays technology, it is more advance medical diagnostic equipment
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,...
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...
Sometimes trying to come up with activities for autistic kids that will be fun, educational and not cost a lot can be a struggle. So it's reassuring to know that there are a number of possibilities out there, it's just a matter of finding some that will appeal to your...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Add new Comment
Comments on this article
0