My ASD Child

Investigating and Resolving "Problem Behavior" in Kids on the Autism Spectrum

"I need to understand my son better (ASD, age 7) so we can you come up with some consequences that are appropriate and not so punitive as to remove all possibility of improvement. Please help!"

If you have a youngster with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) who exhibits problematic behavior, you have probably felt like an investigator, searching for clues and seeking hidden motivations.

You may have come up with some quick and easy explanations for your youngster's behavioral issues (e.g., ones offered by parents at the park, your mother-in-law, and even by behavioral experts), but your youngster often has something completely different up his sleeve. Operating according to the easiest explanation will often make matters worse.

Even though there are explanations for your HFA youngster's “bad” behavior that take some of the fault from him, the effects of the behavior are unfortunate and must be addressed. For example, your youngster may push one of his friends or break a toy because of autism-related challenges not under his control, but he still has to face the consequences associated with this behavior.

A full understanding of the situation can help you come up with some consequences that are effective and not so punitive "as to remove all possibility of improvement" (as you say). And the best way to come to a full understanding is through good detective work.

One way to be a good detective is to observe behavior by using a functional behavioral assessment (i.e., observing your youngster and noting everything that happens before, during, and after problem behaviors). With a few weeks of observation, you can often uncover the things that provoke your youngster (e.g., the itchy sweater he is wearing, the long wait in the gym after the bus drop-off, the breeze coming through a classroom window, etc.).

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Here’s is an example of a functional behavioral assessment:

Student’s name: Ricky

Issue: Ricky had difficulty transitioning from resource room to physical education class

Location: The resource room

People involved: Resource teacher and classmates

Antecedent (i.e., what occurred before the incident): Resource teacher states, “It’s time for everyone to put their drawing materials away and get ready to go to the gym.”

Behavior #1 (i.e., what occurred during the incident): Ricky continued to draw in his art notebook. He glanced at classmates who had moved to the doorway.
Consequence #1 (i.e., what resulted at this stage of events): Resource teacher talked with the students for about one minute. She looked at Ricky and told him to put his pencil down and to get in line.

Behavior #2: Ricky turned his back to the teacher and threw his pencil on the floor.
Consequence #2: Teacher approached Ricky and told him to pick up the pencil.

Behavior #3: Ricky got up and picked up the pencil and took it to the art supplies drawer. Then he ran to the front of the classroom and climbed under the teacher’s desk.
Consequence #3: Teacher bent down to be at eye level with Ricky under the table and told him he was wasting everyone’s gym time, and that he needed to come out from under the desk and get in line.

Behavior #4: Ricky reached out his hand.
Consequence #4: Teacher took Ricky’s hand and led him to the end of the line.

Behavior #5: Ricky waved goodbye and smiled to his teacher and walked with the others to the gym.
Consequence #5: Teacher smiled, waved back and stated, “I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

Hypothesis (i.e., best guess as to why the behavior occurs based on the assumption that other antecedents, behaviors and consequences showed a similar pattern): Ricky was seeking attention from his resource teacher

Goal (i.e., corrective action plan): Teach Ricky a more appropriate way to seek his teacher’s attention

Objectives (i.e., potential strategies used to accomplish the goal):

allow Ricky to ask a classmate to walk next to him on the way to gym
allow Ricky to be “line-leader”
allow Ricky to be the "timer" who pushes the two-minute warning buzzer
post Ricky’s name on the "hard workers of the week" bulletin board
praise Ricky for a specific work-related behavior or academic response just before asking students to line up for gym time

Although the example above involved problematic behavior at school, the same method can be applied by parents for behavior at home. The more you learn about your youngster’s disorder and his unique quirkiness, the better you will be able to discover the true motive behind the behavior and apply appropriate discipline (or leniency if warranted).

==> How To Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums In Children With High-Functioning Autism

More Structure Equals Less Behavioral Problems

Here is a personal example of applying functional behavioral analysis (see if you can identify the antecedent, behavior, and consequence):

One of my child clients with High-Functioning Autism was experiencing meltdowns pretty much daily whenever he was in special education class, which he attended for one hour each morning for writing practice since his penmanship was poor. As most people know who work with children on the autism spectrum, they tend to have poor writing abilities due to fine motor skills deficits.

I was asked by Michael's parents to go to the school and sit in the classroom to investigate. Here is what I observed:

Michael entered the classroom and took his seat, which was in the rear of the room nearest the door that led to the hallway. As he began to practice writing, he would get frustrated and erase what he had written repeatedly to the point where he wore several holes in the paper. At that point, he picked up his paper, tore it into tiny pieces and threw it on the floor. This resulted in the teacher escorting Michael to another room where he was isolated from the other students for a period of time.

To make a long story short, on the day of my investigation, I took my seat in the very back of the classroom behind Michael. I immediately noticed that since we were sitting near the exit, most of the hallway noise was very audible. I also knew that based on personal experience, many children with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's have hearing sensitivities.

As I sat there, I had the thought that it would be difficult for even me to concentrate with the hustle and bustle right on the other side of the door. So purely on a hunch, we moved Michael to the front of the room furthest away from the door. We were pleasantly surprised to see that Michael was able to stay focused on his writing at that point and was not making as many mistakes, thus reducing his frustration-level.

So the hypothesis was this: Michael was unconsciously distracted by the noises in the hallway, which contributed to his frequent writing mistakes and frequent erasing. This in turn resulted in the writing paper being torn, which was the tipping-point for Michael to slip into a total state of frustration.

==> Parenting System that Significantly Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with High-Functioning Autism

Obviously, the corrective action was to move Michael to an area of the classroom that was less noisy and distracting. It also appeared to help that he was near the teacher and could receive frequent one-on-one assistance.

As a mother or father, you will need to develop a trained eye for your AS or HFA child, as well as an intuitive understanding of what makes him tic. Your youngster needs you to read all the hidden cues. He also needs to follow his own instincts, which may be telling him that something's too difficult, too uncomfortable, etc. Your youngster has no choice but to follow his instincts. Knowing this can help you be more empathetic and skilled in addressing difficult behavior.

Not all hidden cues are worth following. When you're investigating your youngster's confusing behavior, red herrings may show up (e.g., his eagerness to end a stressful situation by accepting blame even when it’s not his fault, your preconceived notions of “whodunit,” another youngster's self-protecting accusations, another adult's spin on the situation, etc.).

If it feels to you like something is awry, chances are it is. Keep an open mind even in the face of seemingly “solid evidence,” and allow for the possibility that things may not be what they seem. Your intuition is still worth following – all “evidence” to the contrary.

Of course, there will be times when you have developed a wonderful hypothesis based on a good-faith investigation, but for some reason it just doesn’t pan-out (e.g., there is a missing piece of the puzzle that would make the picture so much clearer and turn your guesswork into certainty – if you could just find it; the strategies that have always worked in the past don't get the job done this time; the explanation you've developed through your intuition is not what is really going on, etc.).

Always keep an eye out for that “missing link,” even if you seem to have resolved the situation to an acceptable degree. That little bit of extra information can resolve things more completely, and can help you prevent a particular problem behavior from occurring again.

Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:

==> How to Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

==> Parenting System that Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder

==> Launching Adult Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Guide for Parents Who Want to Promote Self-Reliance

==> Teaching Social-Skills and Emotion-Management to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

==> Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism: Parents' Comprehensive Handbook

==> Unraveling the Mystery Behind High-Functioning Autism: Audio Book

==> Crucial Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism

More articles for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:

Social rejection has devastating effects in many areas of functioning. Because the ASD child tends to internalize how others treat him, rejection damages self-esteem and often causes anxiety and depression. As the child feels worse about himself and becomes more anxious and depressed – he performs worse, socially and intellectually.

Click here to read the full article…

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Meltdowns are not a pretty sight. They are somewhat like overblown temper tantrums, but unlike tantrums, meltdowns can last anywhere from ten minutes to over an hour. When it starts, the Asperger's or HFA child is totally out-of-control. When it ends, both you and your child are totally exhausted. But... don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. At the least provocation, for the remainder of that day -- and sometimes into the next - the meltdown can return in full force.

Click here for the full article...

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Although Aspergers [high-functioning autism] is at the milder end of the autism spectrum, the challenges parents face when disciplining a teenager on the spectrum are more difficult than they would be with an average teen. Complicated by defiant behavior, the teen is at risk for even greater difficulties on multiple levels – unless the parents’ disciplinary techniques are tailored to their child's special needs.

Click here to read the full article…

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Your older teenager or young “adult child” isn’t sure what to do, and he is asking you for money every few days. How do you cut the purse strings and teach him to be independent? Parents of teens with ASD face many problems that other parents do not. Time is running out for teaching their adolescent how to become an independent adult. As one mother put it, "There's so little time, yet so much left to do."

Click here to read the full article…

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Two traits often found in kids with High-Functioning Autism are “mind-blindness” (i.e., the inability to predict the beliefs and intentions of others) and “alexithymia” (i.e., the inability to identify and interpret emotional signals in others). These two traits reduce the youngster’s ability to empathize with peers. As a result, he or she may be perceived by adults and other children as selfish, insensitive and uncaring.

Click here to read the full article...

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Become an expert in helping your child cope with his or her “out-of-control” emotions, inability to make and keep friends, stress, anger, thinking errors, and resistance to change.

Click here for the full article...

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A child with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) can have difficulty in school because, since he fits in so well, many adults may miss the fact that he has a diagnosis. When these children display symptoms of their disorder, they may be seen as defiant or disruptive.

Click here for the full article...

Top Picks: Self-Soothing Items for Kids on the Autism Spectrum

Below are our top picks for products that can be used to calm your child whenever he or she is frustrated, angry, over-stimulated, or about to "meltdown." However, we recommend that your child not be granted free access to these items, rather they should be reserved for those times when he or she is beginning to have strong emotions and needs to "self-soothe" as a result.

Relieves Stress and Increases Focus - Bundle Sensory Twisted Squeeze Fidget Toys Set (15 PACK)

Blue Weighted Compression Vest - Small (5-8) - Helps With Mood & Attention, Sensory Over Responding, Sensory Seeking, Travel Issues

Sensory Sox Body Socks - For Sensory Processing Issues - Deep Pressure Simulation Body Blanket Great for Dynamic Movement

5 lb Children's (for 50lb individual) 36"x48" Navy Blue and Gray Weighted Blanket with Dotted Minkey Cover. Fall Asleep Faster - Perfect for kids with Anxiety, OCD, Stress, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders

Glowing LED Night Light - Twinkle Star Shape - Plush Pillow Stuffed Toys

Light Up Smiling Moon Throw Pillow - Sparkling Moon Plush Toy with 7 Colors Change LED Lighting

Snug Kids Earmuffs / Best Hearing Protectors – Adjustable Headband Ear Defenders For Children w/ Auditory Sensitivities

Pull, Stretch & Squeeze Stress Balls - 3 Pack - Elastic Construction Sensory Balls - Ideal For Stress & Anxiety Relief, Special Needs, Autism

How to Help Aspergers and HFA Teens Transition to High School

Young Aspergers (AS) and High-Functioning Autistic (HFA) teens entering high school look forward to having more choices and making new and more friends; however, they also are concerned about being picked on and teased by older students, having harder work, making lower grades, and getting lost in a larger, unfamiliar school.

As these "special needs" teens make the transition into high school, many experience a decline in grades and attendance. They view themselves more negatively and experience an increased need for friendships. By the end of the 10th grade as many as 6% drop out of school. For middle school students, including those who have been labeled "gifted" or "high-achieving," the transition into high school can be an especially unpleasant experience.

Research has found, however, that when middle school students with AS and HFA took part in a high school transition program with several diverse articulation activities, fewer students were retained in the transition grade. Furthermore, middle school principals indicated that they expected fewer of their students to drop out before graduation when the school provided supportive advisory group activities or responsive remediation programs.

==> Help for Parents with Defiant Aspergers Teens

Providing students on the autism spectrum with activities that relate directly to their transition into high school certainly is important; however, providing them with a challenging and supportive middle school experience is an equally important factor in their making a successful transition into high school. Research reveals that AS and HFA students who stayed together with the same educators through sixth, seventh, and eighth grades - and experienced more hands-on, life-related learning activities, integrated instruction, and cooperative learning groups were more successful in their transition to high school than were students from the same school who had a more traditional middle school experience.

AS and HFA students have also indicated that if their middle school educators had held them more responsible for their learning, taught them more about strategies for learning on their own, and provided them a more challenging curriculum, their transition to high school would have been easier.

A good high school transition program includes a variety of activities that (1) provide children and parents with information about the new school, (2) provide children with social support during the transition, and (3) bring middle school and high school personnel together to learn about the curriculum and requirements.

Middle school students on the spectrum want to know what high school is going to be like, and they and their parents need to know about and understand high school programs and procedures well in advance. In particular, moms and dads need to be actively involved in the decisions their eighth-graders are asked to make about classes they will take in ninth grade and understand the long-term effects of the course decisions.

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Some of the ways AS and HFA teens can learn about high school include:

"shadowing" a current high school student
attending a fall orientation assembly (preferably before school starts)
attending a presentation by a high school student or panel of students
discussing high school regulations and procedures with eighth-grade educators and counselors
participating in face-to-face activities
visiting the high school in the fall for schedule information
visiting the high school in the spring

In addition, high school students can, either as a class or club project, set up a Website that would provide incoming students information on different high school activities and clubs and offer them an opportunity to get answers to any questions they may have from the "experts."

At a time when friendships and social interaction are particularly important for young teens on the autism spectrum, the normative transition into high school often serves to disrupt friendship networks and, thereby, interferes with students' success in high school. Thus, it is vital for a transition program to include activities that will provide incoming students social support activities that give students the opportunity to get to know and develop positive relationships with older students and other incoming students.

Methods of social support include:

"Big Sister/Brother" Program that begins in eighth grade and continues through ninth grade
Peer mentoring programs
Spring social event for current and incoming high school students
Tutoring programs
Writing programs where eighth-graders correspond with high school students

Tips for Teachers: 29 Ways to Build Confidence in Students with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

PARENT INVOLVEMENT—

The importance of parents being involved in their child’s transition from middle to high school can hardly be overestimated. When moms and dads are involved in their child’s transition to high school, they tend to stay involved in his/her school experiences. Also, when parents are involved in their child's high school experiences, the student (statistically speaking) has a higher level of achievement, is better adjusted, and is less likely to drop out of school.

Parent involvement in the transition process to high school can be encouraged through a variety of activities. Parents may:

be invited to participate in a conference (preferably at the middle school) with their child and the high school counselor to discuss course work and schedules
help design and facilitate some of the articulation activities for students
spend a day at the high school to help them understand what their child's life will be like
visit the high school with their child in the spring or in the fall

Note: Parents of students who are already in high school are an excellent resource for other parents and may also help to encourage new parents to be more involved in school activities.

==> Help for Parents with Defiant Aspergers Teens

How Parents Can Help With Transitions—

1. A week or so before school starts in the fall, make sure your adolescent gets another tour of the school. Help him find his locker and practice opening it. Take his schedule and walk from class to class in the order he will have to go each day. If the schedule is not the same every day, make sure you practice with him/her all the different variations. Visit the cafeteria and talk about the different options for eating lunch, bring lunch from home or buying hot lunch.

2. Arrange for your adolescent to meet all of her educators before the first day of school. This is something that would best be done over several days so your adolescent is not overwhelmed.

3. Get a catalogue of courses offered as soon as it is available and start looking at it with your adolescent. Talk about classes that will be required to graduate and classes that your adolescent has a special interest in.

4. If possible, plan for your 8th grader to spend time at the high school during his 8th grade year. If the schools are close together it might be possible for your 8th grader to spend his study hall time working in the library at the high school, working as a teacher's assistant, or being an office helper. Or perhaps your adolescent can take a class at the high school during his 8th grade year.

5. If the high school has a mentor program for incoming freshmen try and have your adolescent meet his mentor over the summer, for ice cream or a soda, to get to know each other a little.

6. If your adolescent has an IEP (individual education plan) make sure all of his/her educators are aware of the IEP and take time to briefly discuss with each of them the most critical issues for your adolescent.

7. If your adolescent will ride the school bus, visit the bus stop by your home and locate the drop off spot at the high school. Figure out which door they will use to enter the school and how to find their locker from that door. Make sure your adolescent knows where they will catch the bus in the afternoon and how to identify which bus they will ride on. If this is your adolescent's first experience with a school bus, make sure the bus driver is aware of your adolescent's special needs and that they will keep a careful eye on your adolescent to make sure they get off at the correct spot.

8. In the spring make sure your adolescent gets a tour of the high school, meeting key people like the principal, counselors, special education staff, front office staff, and library staff.

9. Make arrangements with the high school for your adolescent to sit in on a few classes towards the end of his 8th grade year. If possible arrange for your adolescent to visit classes of educators he/she will have the following year. Also, arrange for someone to sit in on the classes with your adolescent, a counselor, special ed teacher, etc.

10. Make arrangements with the school for your adolescent to have one special person who will be their "go to" person if they have any questions or difficulties.

11. Start planning early for the change. The beginning of 8th grade is not too soon to start having conversation with school personnel about ways to make it easier for the next year.

12. Start talking about college and what your adolescent will have to do to get ready.

13. Start talking about how great high school will be and how you think you adolescent will really enjoy being there. (You are planting positive ideas, so try and sound very positive).

14. Have the school assign a compassionate student to be your adolescent's lunch buddy for the first week of school so he/she does not have to eat alone. Sometimes schools are willing to assign a buddy for each class too. This can be helpful in making your Aspergers adolescent feel more accepted by his/her peers.

15. Plan to touch base with each of your adolescents educators by email after the first 1-2 days of school to see how things are progressing. Arrange to have an in person meeting with the educators during the second week of school. (By that time they have had a chance to figure out who your youngster is and you can give them more information about Aspergers and what has worked best for your youngster in the past. Be sure to thank them for their willingness to help your unique youngster have a great year and offer to help them in any way you can.)

==> Help for Parents with Defiant Aspergers Teens

Should You Consider Giving Your Child CBD Oil?

CBD oil is gaining traction among parents of kids on the autism spectrum. As one parent states, “Our son is almost completely weaned off of drugs since beginning CBD treatment. He is more focused in school, able to stay on task, understand and follow classroom multi-step directions, complete school work, and is no longer at a ‘plateau’ and able to grasp new concepts. His eye contact is better, his language is more thought-out and he is able to create meaningful sentences and his annunciation is clearer. He also seems happier, in general.”

Why should you consider CBD oil for your Asperger’s or High-Functioning Autistic child? Well, first we need to look at the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).

Many of the symptoms that children on the autism spectrum experience are directly related to the functions of the body’s ECS. This system is the largest regulatory system in the body and controls appetite, memory, mood, motor control, pain, pleasure and reward, sleep, temperature regulation, and immune function. We have ECS receptors in almost every cell, and when the ECS is disrupted, any one of these things can fall out of balance.

A 2013 study (click here for the study) found dysfunctions in cannabinoid receptors on immune cells in children on the autism spectrum, and it was an “aha” moment researchers. Another study (found here) looked at CBD oil and how it is becoming an increasingly popular treatment for anxiety and sleep issues in children – and is an effective alternative to pharmaceutical medications.

Since CBD oil has little to no THC, it will not affect the mental process in kids or cause them to feel “high.” Already there are good results from moms and dads who have used CBD oil to treat their "special needs" kids. These products are available for you now.

Below are our top picks for hemp oil based on popular reviews. Hemp oil is obtained by pressing hemp seeds, and should not be confused with hash oil, which is made from the Cannabis flower.