My ASD Child

This post exposes the unexplored problem of teens with Aspergers (high functioning autism) using alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with everyday life. Alcohol can relieve the anxiety of social situations and make those with Aspergers feel as though they can fit in. However, reliance on alcohol can lead the teenager down a path of self-destruction and exacerbate existing problems. For many teens with Aspergers, a strategy which begins as a simple coping behavior becomes an addiction. Aspergers teens drink alcohol for a variety of reasons: forget reality temporarily alleviate worry temporarily improve self-esteem to change their mood to deal with social anxiety to feel carefree and brave to feel less afraid to gain acceptance Environments which are too stressful are typically avoided by teens with Aspergers (e.g., where sensory input is too high to manage). If avoidance is not possible, coping strategies are put in place to cope with anxiety. The school enviro...

A behavior contract is an agreement between the child and parent. It is a written agreement about how the child will behave and will indicate the appropriate consequence should the child neglect to behave according to the contract. It also states the reinforcer to be used for successful compliance. The behavior contract provides the Aspergers (high functioning autistic) child with structure and self-management. Developing the Contract— The contract should be written with the child and parent (i.e., collaboration). Here are some points to consider: Consequences and reinforcers need to be thought out clearly. Contracts should name specific behaviors to be changed. Define who and how the behavior will be monitored (e.g., parent’s initials, stickers, check mark system, etc.). Focus only on 1 or 2 behaviors at a time. How will the child receive a reward? (e.g., receive an extra hour of computer-time). What is the consequence should the child not adhere to the behavior desc...