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Ways to Stop Aggressive Behavior in Aspergers Children

Question

Is there a way to stop aggressive behavior when a young child with Aspergers is in the middle of a meltdown?

Answer

It is not uncommon for kids with Aspergers (high-functioning autism) to become aggressive. Aspergers causes a youngster to struggle to understand how their behaviors affect other kids. The many symptoms and characteristics of the disorder can cause extreme frustration. This frustration can lead to anxiety, depression, anger, and aggressive behavior. 

Here are a few specific reasons for aggressive meltdowns:
  • Change of routine: Inability to handle unexpected changes in the daily schedule, such as a substitute teacher or a cancelled class period
  • Communication problems: Inability to recognize humor, sarcasm, or slang during conversations with peers
  • Sensory issues: Inability to handle the discomfort in the environment due to sights, sounds, smells, or other sensory dysfunction
  • Social struggles: Inability to understand social cues and gestures or to make and keep friends

Aspergers calls for a direct approach. Therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, social skills training, and occupational therapy will help with levels of frustration and also touch on self-control, a necessary skill for all of us. However, there are several things parents can do at home to lessen the impact of aggressive meltdowns.

Here are a few tips:

  • Redirection can sometimes be used during the beginning stages of a meltdown to reduce the escalation.
  • Removal from the situation is necessary once a meltdown has developed.
  • Role-play appropriate responses to tricky situations with your youngster. Role-playing is an excellent option for teaching all types of social skills to kids with Asperger’s.
  • Social stories are excellent for teaching young kids about problem behaviors. These should be used during quiet moments and not during any stage of aggressiveness or frustration.
  • Teach youngster to recognize red light/green light behaviors, red being a poor choice and green being a good choice.

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

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

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Victoria Conroy Jones Strong-willed & aggressive! Feeling so fortunate that we are not dealing with violent too.
about an hour ago · Like
Shelly Hugs Holder You are very lucky !! My son of 17 is very aggressive and violent ..you can have the plassed or the aggressive typ ..
54 minutes ago · Like

Anonymous said...

Jackie Wall Fields We just completed 1st week of kindergarten and this article is dead on. One violent meltdown over his regular teacher leaving and an aide watching the class. Another one because playground equipment was wet from rain and had to change recess routine. We are working with teachers to figure out ways to avoid or deal with them in the future.
21 hours ago · Like · 1 person

Anonymous said...

Lewis Holder
Mum yeah I may be aggressive but I can't help it. I need someone to try and understand me, understand me but at the moment I don't have that! There are many people with Aspergers Syndrome that are like me and all we need is a bit of support. Yeah we are smart unique people but we find it hard to control who emotions. People may find it hard to understand perhaps because we have a different view and perspective on the world and different environments we live in. It can benefit us to have that but also there are lots of downfalls. I am very sorry for the stress that I may have caused you.
17 hours ago · Like
Shelly Hugs Holder
Lewis I am getting help for you ..NAS they have groups for you its set in place I'm waiting for the forms to arive ..also im hoping for someone to come in the home and work with you and help you with day to day living ...I'm not given up on you helping you ..you need help that i can't give you ..also I'm tryin to get you a place to live were you get help with your inderpendants ...I haven't given up on you I love you .....but this behavor has to stop its upsetting all of us Lewis thers only so much I can take xxx
17 hours ago · Like

My child has been rejected by his peers, ridiculed and bullied !!!

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.

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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.

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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.

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Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism

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.

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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.

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