My son haas petit mal seizures and PDD-NOS and has increasing difficulty controlling impulses. He hits a lot. Not out of anger at all, mainly seems like something he just has to "get out of his system." He also tends to make a lot of nonsense noise and it is constant. I was wondering if any of you can relate and if there is anything you have done to help your child through it. Any and all advice is so very appreciated!
Thanks for the responses. My son has been through OT and ST, and his OT has suggested a sensory processing issue, but the developmental pediatrician disagrees. It's so frustrating trying to get everyone to agree and to get help with what to do for him. He is currently in ABA therapy, so maybe they can make suggestions that will help. It all seems to be getting worse, so I want to do something and utilize the summer to help before school starts back up. My son also blurts out book and movie lines, but also nonsense babbling. I ask him why he hits and talks like that, but he can't answer me. He just says, "because I hit" or doesn't answer at all. I am looking at natural remedies to help with calming and ran across a pamphlet for magnesium. We will see what happens. Thanks again.
The noise and the "hitting" could be stim behaviors. Has your son been evaluated for sensory processing issues? An OT may be able to help.
My PDD-NOS son has been known to memorize entire movies! Unfortunately, we've had to threaten to get rid of Tranformers due to his becoming COMPLETELY obsessed with the used car scene with Bernie Mac. It's a horribly offensive scene, and he started calling me "Mammy". I try to explain to him that it could seriously hurt someone's feelings if they hear him use that name in public. Yeah...implulse control being what it is... Darn you Bernie Mac!
Thanks to the fact that our son also has ADHD, he is medicated. We tried for a LONG time to go without, but nothing worked. The meds help, but he knows that it's up to him to truly gain control. (As the psyciatrist's nurse says, "we don't want a Stepford child")
The chanting & repeating everything does drive me completely nuts. I try not to let it show, but sometimes just have to tell my son "enough". Sometimes, I gently remind him that he's repeating. If he's having a good day, it's enough to stop the behavior for a while. As he gets older, it becomes a bit easier for him to control the outbursts. He understands that he's different from many other children. At this age, he's fine with that. But then, we've tried to express to him that those differences will be what helps him succeed. At age 9, he knows what he wants to do, and knows how to get there. (He also knows what type of car he wants to drive @ 16! Lol)
Keep up the great work! I know it's confusing. Especially when 2 "experts" can't seem to agree on what he needs.
The "nonsense noise" could be a vocal tic - I would research tics as well as PANDAS which can be related to tics sometimes (at least from what I've read, and I'm not a health care professional), as well as issues with impulse control.
I also agree that it might be a good idea to consult with an OT.
Good luck - hope you make some headway!
My son has some self control issues, although not to the extent that yours does. I know that for my son the school counselor helped him with some tips and tricks to try and control himself. If your son is not already in counseling I would highly suggest you find someone that has experience with your sons' disorder, it will help immensely. For example if your son can recognize his need to lash out he could go in his room and hit a pillow and even babble talk if it makes him feel better. If you and he can recognize the triggers you can help find ways to deal with the behavior. It almost sounds like he may have turrets syndrome, you may want to explore that possibility as well.
I know for my son counting to 10 silently has helped him with his outbursts and lashing out behavior. This is something he worked on with the school counselor.
Good luck, hopefully this is something that will get easier as he becomes more mature.
It could definitely be worth seeing an OT about. I am a pediatric OT and it is possible it could be sensory processing issues. Sometimes when kids are overwhelmed by sensory stimuli they can do this type of thing. How old is he? If he is old I enough to understand what is going on- see if he can talk to you about it too. Might give some insight. You could give him something else he can do when he has the impulse- maybe an object or item that he can hit or squeeze when he feels the impulse to hit. You could also do some kind of rerward system for going a certain amount of time without hitting. Just a few suggestions.
People with Autism do have a higher risk of having seizure disorder, but the seizure disorder doesn't have anything to do with the impulse control problems. The impulse control issues fall under the Autism, and it's something that takes a lot of practice and then some to work on. A lot of times, drilling and repetition on what "not" to do ie. teaching rules seems to work until you get into a situation or moment when emotion takes over and then impulsivity is back in control. That's going to be a lifelong struggle.
The nonsense noises are called "stimming." The repetition of movie lines and other repetitious behaviors are also stimming and fall under something called Perseverative Behaviors. They're believed to be soothing at times, but they always have a function and that's very important to recognize. Sometimes it helps them focus, sometimes it helps ease anxiety.
I know that it's frustrating and can be extremely annoying sometimes but it can help to remember that Perseveration serves a very important purpose for those who engage in it. And it might not just be verbal stimming but behavioral as well (rocking, flapping, hopping, spinning, jumping, swinging, humming, clicking tongue, tapping, etc).
Therapies and services seem to help, with gentle reminders and refocusing, but I've resigned myself to the fact that my daughter will always engage in Perseverative Behaviors. I'm trying to help (along with her therapists) teach her impulse control, some of which is coming along with maturity, so it can get better. But a lot of the time we've had to teach her behaviors to replace the ones we want to move away from or reduce.
