DISCLAIMER
Information disseminated by Autism South Africa is for information purposes only.
The onus rests with the reader to explore and investigate the relevant information and alternatives for each individual.
Information disseminated by Autism South Africa is for information purposes only.
The onus rests with the reader to explore and investigate the relevant information and alternatives for each individual.
Information sent out does not imply that Autism South Africa underwrites or endorses any particular therapy, intervention, method or medication. Autism South Africa assumes no responsibility for the use made of any information provided herein.
INTRODUCTION TO CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
Challenging behaviors are those that involve danger to the child, others around them, or that limit access to the community. Children with autism or Asperger’s syndrome may ‘break the rules’ associated with fair play, sharing and taking their turn, and when and how to show emotions. They may also have trouble with interpreting and responding to nonverbal communication, knowing when to speak and how to get a point across, and which parts of a person’s body may be seen naked or touched.
Challenging behavior includes but is not exclusive to:
• Non-compliance
• Physical aggression
• Verbal aggression
• Self-injury
• Property destruction
• Sexual assault.
WHY DO CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS OCCUR?
Every child is born perceiving themselves at the center of their universe. As they grow, they realize that other people exist separately to themselves. In turn, they realize these other people have needs and wants that may conflict with their own, and in the words of the Rolling Stones, “you can’t always get what you wanted”.
In a sense, the process of becoming an adult is learning to respect other people’s needs and balancing them with your own. Children with autism and Asperger’s syndrome have great difficulties in this area, as the disorders involve problems with seeing the world from another person’s perspective (see Theory of Mind). A child with autism is not wilfully engaging in challenging behavior more than any other child would. They simply have much more trouble in developing this awareness of others that modifies and refines our behavior.
WHY PUNISHMENT OF CHALLENGING
BEHAVIORS IS DISCOURAGED
Punishment results from applying a penalty for behavior. It is identified as being an aversive event, meaning that a person would typically try to avoid it. Punishment is further defined as being a negative response to behavior. Punishment denies a person the opportunity and the right to make their own decisions and to take responsibility for their own behavior.
Even in more severe cases of autism, people can be provided with choice and opportunities to take responsibility for their behavior. Research and ethical practice finds that aversive strategies are inappropriate in the vast majority of cases. Instead, non-aversive, positive behavior support strategies are encouraged. Globally, differences exist in what people perceive as punishment and consequences. These differences exist as a result of the values and attitudes of society and its members.
A HISTORY OF PUNISHMENT
Punishment has been used for centuries as an immediate response to inappropriate or challenging behavior. Traditionally, behavior modification was concerned with controlling and eliminating behavior and relied on restrictive and negative approaches to do so. This doesn't make it right. There are several reasons why some people continue to use punishment as a behavior management strategy.
AVOIDING THE TRIGGERS OF BEHAVIORS
Applied Behavior Analysis has proven to be an effective intervention for many challenging behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Avoiding the 'triggers' of behaviors is concentrating on the antecedent part of the ABC model:
• Antecedent (what happens before a behavior)
• Behavior (the child's response to this trigger)
• Consquence (what happens because of the behavior).
Often the parent can play the role of 'behavior detective' by finding the triggers for challenging behaviors and avoiding these, or desensitizing the child to them. This is a way to avoid negative behaviors from happening in the first place.
SENSORY ISSUES
Sensory problems can be a source of many triggers. Careful observation can reveal negative responses to certain sounds, types of touch, smells, movements and tastes. There are obviously some things that can't be avoided forever. For example, if your child hates the noise of other people in a crowded supermarket, this is one trigger that will eventually have to be dealt with. Desensitization is often a useful strategy for this. The child is introduced to the situation for small periods at a time and reinforced for the growing ability to tolerate the setting for longer and longer periods of time.
CONSEQUENTIAL MANAGEMENT OF BEHAVIORS
Managing behaviors in the context of autism or Asperger's syndrome can be very difficult, and it is natural to want to express our frustration at non-compliance and resort to punishment. However, concentrating on positive language and providing alternatives will increase the chances of modeling more appropriate behaviors.
Consequential management is a positive response to challenging behavior. It serves to give the person informed choice. It gives the person an opportunity to learn. Consequences exist within our society, and we live with the consequences of our actions on a daily basis. For example, if we speed and are caught, the consequence is more than likely to be that we will get a speeding ticket. The use of consequential management is a positive response to behavior, it allows a person informed choice and an opportunity for learning.
Consequences must be clearly related to the challenging behavior. For example, if a glass of water was thrown and the glass smashed, the logical consequence would be for the person to clean up the mess and replace the glass. If an unrelated punishment was enforced, such as not being able to go to the movies the next day, the child will probably not be able to see or understand the link, and the learning benefits of the process would be lost.
MANAGING TANTRUMS IN AUTISTIC CHILDREN
Children with autism have been known to have a temper tantrum or two. Think about why a child may have a tantrum. That's right, they work! Tantrums can get children what they want, or they would not have them. What do children want? Candy, attention, favorite toys, not to go to bed, to continue self-stimulating, not to take medicine, more cookies, no more broccoli, and on and on.
Children want what they want, when they want it. There are some things you can do to prevent tantrum behavior (e.g., teach children to wait) but that cannot help you when you are at the shops with a screaming child! The best solution for a temper tantrum is a commitment from all people who have regular contact with your child to ignore the temper tantrum and never give the child what he is tantrumming for as long as he is still having a tantrum. Here's how to do it and stay sane.
WHAT IS A TANTRUM?
A tantrum is a form of communication. It's a way for the child to say: "Look, parents and the whole world, you'd better give me what I want!" A tantrum is a normal reaction to frustration (not getting what you want) that has grown into a behavior problem. It is normal for a child to express anger when disappointed. Anger is a healthy response as long as it is expressed in a socially acceptable way.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD
IS OUT OF CONTROL
Children and adults with autism can occasionally have behaviors that are simply beyond your (and their) control. If a child or adult is having a tantrum, the recommended intervention is ignoring the behavior by not looking at, talking to, or touching the person (except for safety). And this will usually help to reduce tantrums over time because the tantrum no longer is receiving attention nor is it getting the person any real benefit.
However, there are some things you cannot ignore. What about a tantrum that lasts all day and night and involves hitting others and breaking things? For little children, we may intervene physically and stop these things from happening. But every "child" reaches an age or size when that no longer is an option. Also an elderly parent or grandparent or foster parent may be no match for even a young but strong child. This article is about what can be done when things are out of control and something needs to be done.
At these times it does no good to be told: "I told you that you'd better get his behavior under control when he was three years old!" While that may be a true statement, it will not help - so - fuggetaboutit.
The behavior I am talking about here is not a tantrum. It is behavior that puts the person with autism and others at risk of harm. The behavior has moved to the point of being criminal. The person is trying to hurt others or is so out of control that hurting others and breaking the house up no longer matters to him or her. It is behavior that, if done by a stranger to your home, you would call the police.
MANIPULATIVE BEHAVIORS
Children can be viewed as innocent, giving beings who can do no wrong. They can also be perceived as completely self-centered when born, and the process of growing up viewed as learning to not be so self-centered. As any experienced parent knows, both of these can be true at different times, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle, regardless of whether a child has autism or Asperger's syndrome.
Most manipulation of parents by children is within the range of normal daily experiences. Children (and adults) often use manipulation as a tool. It is learned and continues to be used, since it has been effective. All people manipulate at some point and in our society this is often rewarded. Parents, teachers and therapists use manipulation to change behavior.
Manipulation operates at a complex level of cognitive and behavioral functioning. Trying to get what you want is not manipulation by itself. A child with profound autism might be screaming simply because they are in pain and need help repositioning. Parents or teachers may label them as manipulative, “She knows it is not time to go out” and then ignore the screaming. The result is that the child remains in extreme pain and adults become frustrated and angry. Manipulation is often confused with frustration and parents need to be careful to not mistake manipulative behavior for those that arise from the nature of autism or Asperger's syndrome.
DEALING WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
Attitude is the first place to focus when supporting people with challenging behavior. Facing tantrums, threats, screaming, emotional outbursts and inappropriate behavior can be frustrating, emotionally demanding and lead to many negative feelings which can influence how we interact with the child.
However a positive attitude is the foundation upon which other supports are built. A positive attitude by parents, family members, teachers and therapists can either make or break a support plan for a person with autism, Asperger's syndrome or other developmental disorder. Sometimes even the best behavior support plans can be jeopardized by negative attitudes. A negative attitude can stop a person (even subconsciously) from carrying out the plan in a genuine and enthusiastic manner.
Sometimes it does seem almost impossible to keep positive thoughts in the face of persistent and intense behavior, such as anger, aggression, or destruction. Despite this we need to remain focused and remember that we are here to support these individuals and encourage them to improve themselves and their opportunities in life.
WAYS TO STAY POSITIVE
Concentrate on the positives, not the negatives
Try to look at the person’s abilities rather than the effects of autism or Asperger's syndrome. Everyone has strengths and is capable of learning new skills. To do this you will need to separate the behavior from the individual. The behavior may be undesirable or even offensive, but it is only one aspect of the child.
STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH DEFIANT, RUDE & OPPOSITIONAL STUDENTS
We have five available choices when we don't want to follow a direction:
1. Deny or swallow our feelings & comply passively.
2. Refuse in a rude manner. (This is the common choice for our defiant kids.)
3. Withdraw or run away.
4. Avoid complying by use of trickery and manipulation.
5. Make our feelings and decisions known in an respectful manner.
We want to help our kids adopt patterns #5 (Sometimes #1 is an appropriate choice, given certain circumstances).
WHY DO PEOPLE DEFY DIRECTIONS?
1. Transitional phases of human development
Ages two to three
Hey, it's your fault. You taught them the NO word. Now they're using it to test their environment and try to maintain their prestigious place in the world. Think about it...you're the king/queen of the world...everyone jumps through hoops for you until that dreaded moment...the start of toilet training. Previous to that time, you pretty much got to do things the way you wanted, when you wanted. Now society places it's first demands on you. There is a time and place for something. As the eminent Dr. Freud might describe it: The superego (society's rights and wrongs) is imposed on your id (the part of you that is impulsive and self-centered). Kids resist this restriction on their free world. Defiance is an attempt to keep the known world the way it was.
(Side note: Most of us no longer hold a grudge against our parents for imposing restrictions during toilet training. In fact, I often thank my parents...Being toilet trained has really come in handy for me over the years!)