CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS CAN BE PREVENTED AND MANAGED WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORT IN PLACE.

By Rachel ANDERSEN

My son was sitting criss-cross wedged into a small space between the wall and the bookshelf, hands over his ears, screaming at the top of his lungs, “You are a horrible mother!” This had been a 45-minute meltdown that included throwing things across the room, punching and kicking me, and even a swipe at our poor dog. My body was shaking as I tried a breathing exercise to calm myself.

Although we had been here before, it was still traumatic — for all of us. I’m not going to lie, even though I understood why he was saying these things to me, it still hurt. I spent the rest of the evening fighting back tears.

Managing difficult behavior in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be a huge undertaking. It can make you and everyone else in your home feel overwhelmed. Challenging behaviors can be prevented and managed with the right support in place.

There are various ways to manage challenging behavior. Your child’s behavior doesn’t have to have you walking on eggshells. There are helpful ways to get through with your sanity and relationships intact.

What kinds of behaviors do children with autism sometimes exhibit?

In one study called, Problem Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Considering Core Symptom Severity and Accompanying Sleep Disturbance, we learn: “In addition to the core symptoms that define autism spectrum disorder (ASD), many individuals experience broader problem behavior at a level significant enough for families to seek further clinical assessment and intervention.”

Many children with ASD present with challenging behaviors. These behaviors can include tantrums, meltdowns, or shutdowns and may include the following:

• self injury

• throwing things

• punching, kicking, or harming others

• screaming and yelling

•refusal to cooperate

• aggression

• being mean, dismissive, or insulting to others verbally