Handling Aggressive Behavior
Many children with autism can have aggressive behaviors that include biting, self injurious behaviors, kicking, hitting, throwing, etc. It's usually not just a child looking for attention. In many cases, the child is trying to communicate with you. Because many children with autism have language issues and often do not have the language to draw down to express themselves appropriately, they sometimes act out. Always remember to deal with the reason for the behavior -- the function of the behavior. It is more important than the behavior itself. If you find the antecedent (cause) of the behavior, you can help the child with the underlying cause of the behavior by using consquences.
These types of behaviors can be controlled in many ways: behaviorally, with medications, and some parents have reported that they have seen excellent results with biomedical treatments.
Articles on Understanding and Handling Aggressive Behaviors in Autism
- Intervention Methods for Children with Autism: Behavioral & Educational Approaches from NY State
- Understanding and Treating Self-Injurious Behavior
- Treatment of Aggression
- The Overt Aggression Scale for Rating Aggression in Outpatient Youth With Autistic Disorder: Preliminary Findings
- Attitude Adjustment: Tantrums, biting, crying � every parent struggles with them from time to time. But when misbehavior intensifies, it can traumatize the entire family.by Courtney McGrath from Kennedy Krieger.
