Discipline - Rochester,MN

hi-
I work with children who have autism. The most important thing is you need to figure out WHY he is doing what he is doing.

There are 4 reasons why a behavior occurs:
1) attention seeking
2) avoiding/escaping
3) access to a tangible object
4) to fulfill a sensory need

That being said in order to eliminate an unwanted behavior there are several things you need to keep in mind. First, you MUST replace that behavior with another more appropriate behavior (otherwise you may get a worse behavior). Next think about the ABC’S
A (antecedent) – condition that occurs before the behavior which trigger the behavior (? Does the other child have a toy your child wants? Are they grabbing at a toy your child has? Are they bothering him in some way? Is he bored?

B (Behaviors) – observable actions that immediately follow antecedent (in this case “Biting”)

C (Consequence) – what happens after the behavior occurs as a result of ( or in response to) the behavior (natural consequences, staff/peer responses) *make sure the consequence matches the behavior – when he bites what happens? Is the other child removed (if he was bothered by the other child this would be a reward – does he get attention (negative attention can be just as good as positive attention)

S (setting events) – events that occur at a different point in time that may influence or set the stage for the likelihood of a behavior occurring or having an effect on how the person responds to the antecedent (sleep? Is he hungry? Sick? Headaches? constipated?, etc)

Here are a couple of thoughts.

* If there is anything he LOVES place that item in time out
* make a rule chart with words and pictures that say what he should do (e.g. "i will keep my hands to myself; I will listen; I will use my words and manners ("words" may be signs, communication device or words if he is verbal)
* figure out the ABCs

Is he in therapy or Does he see a behavioral psychologist that you can talk to.

Websites:
www.teacch.com
http://www.challengingbehavior.org/do/resources/documents...
http://www.bbbautism.com/news_arch_pdf/issue_5_challengin...
http://www.autism-help.org/behavior-intro-autism.htm
http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/challenging_behavior/

Good luck!!

I am sure you know by now, yelling only stimulates things. My son is not autistic- we have other issues, but I did babysit an 8 year old autistic boy for a couple of years- even my son would get frustrated with the laughter. I know there is nothing more aggrevating than a child who laughs at discipline time- it's not aggrevating it's infuriating to me actually. I have had to learn to keep my cool- he laughs, I no longer yell and over time the laughter at discipline time has faded.

My daughter has autism too! Time out have really NEVER worked. Depending on what he is doing to be sent there, you have to modify what might work for him. For instance, when my daughter hits with a toy or throws a toy, I take the toy into a time out. I have learned that yelling does not work for her. I had to learn to teach her everytime and use words that she undestands why she should not do something. I have also learned that you really have to choose your battles. Children with autism do a LOT of things that are very hard for us to learn about, however, a lot of times they are not doing something to just be defiant or disobediant. They think so differently than we do. They have a reason for doing what they do. At least in my expirence thus far, she is 6. They always take things Literally. You have to be careful not to be sarcastic or joke with them. Use the resources that are there for you. I am not sure how old he is, but if he is in an early intervention you should have access to an autism specialist, or a behavior specialist. Get involved with whatever they have availible. THIS is a HARD thing to be a parent of special needs.. ALL mom's work hard, but we have even a little bit more of different challanges..

I'd suggest you make a board that says " I am working for" then allow him to choose an item to work for for the next 20-30 minutes. Have 5 pennies or tokens of some kind. About every 4-6 minutes if he's doing what he's supposed to say " good job doing.....( whatever he's supposed to be doing) and give him a token. Remind him when he has 5 tokens he gets what he is working for. This works best if you have a way to attach the tokens to the I am working for board( I use those little velcro dots) then when he gets 5 give him the reinforcer. It can be little stuff like 5 minutes to do something he wants or 2 goldfish crackers or some little thing he likes. When he's not doing what you want remind him what he's working for and tell him what you want him to do to get a token. Hope this helps

You've got some great answers below. I have a 6 year old with autism and I want to agree with the people who said it's very important to find out "why" he's behaving inappropriately--behavior is communication for our kids. What is his behavior telling you? Is he stressed or overstimulated? Is there a sensory challenge? Are you (or someone else) asking him to do something that is too hard for him? Does he need a break?

Evidently time-out doesn't work for your son, so try something else. If you're able to figure out what's behind his behavior, you can take care of the underlying problem and may not need to "punish" at all. I've had good luck with positive reinforcement like sticker charts. I've also had a lot of success with having a quiet sensory break area, using visual supports, giving him advance notice when we need to stop an activity or when something is going to change, and giving him choices when I can. If you need help setting this up for him, check with a BCBA or psychologist in your area. Our kids respond differently than other children and the usual tools that we use may not work with them. Sometimes getting a little training on different techniques really helps.

Good luck!
J.

Time out isn't a punishment, it's a redirection. When you put him in time out (laughing) does the offending behavior continue after the time out? If not, then your time outs ARE working. I think people get caught up in thinking kids have to HATE time out for them to be effective. Remember that you are trying to get him to stop a behavior that is unacceptable. So first, tell him to stop and tell/show him what you want him to do instead. Then give him a moment to get started on the appropriate behavior. If he doesn't, remind him and if he ignores the reminder THEN put him on time out for a couple of minutes (1 per year of age). When you take him off of time out remind him what you want to see him do, then walk with him and help him get started on the APPROPRIATE behavior.

I'd avoid yelling at him. Doesn't sound like it's doing much good (and really who ever wants to do what someone wants when they're yelling at you? Not me.)

Hope this helps,
T.

The Autism Treatment Center of America is the best! They have lots of info on their website, and excellent support for parents. You might get what you want just from reading their books, or you might want to call and set up a consultation. You will feel cared about, and your son will too. I'm cheering you on!