Dr. Malcolm answers parents’ questions and concerns about their autistic children. You can submit your questions here.

By Ronald I. Malcolm, EdD

TJN of London, UK, asks:

Hi, thank you for all you do. I have two boys (4 and 3 years old) who both have autism spectrum and sensory processing disorders. We’ve been doing a lot to support their development, and there have been many improvements in communication and socialization. Our major issue is sensory processing.

My oldest son has always loved skin-to-skin from birth, the sense of touch, massages, and deep pressure, for which he has a pressure blanket. My husband and I try to give many deep-pressure hugs, but we notice it’s causing him to have an erection. When he sees someone naked, maybe his little brother, or if we are at his cousins’ or even at daycare, he is so drawn and moves to touch the person. If you try to stop him, he’s crying, throwing a tantrum, and holding on to his penis, which is already bulging.

I recently started noticing this also happening with my second son. Both of them could innocently be hugging each other while laughing and rolling on the bed as kids do, and the next thing I notice is they both have a bulge down there. Now, I have to keep them apart from hugging for too long. This is driving me crazy, wondering what kind of signal this is sending to their body. My kids don’t have to go through this.