Symptoms of ASD that Cause Behavioral Problems




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

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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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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."

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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.

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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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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.

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Developing Parental Optimism and Self-Care: Encouragement for Parents of Kids on the Autism Spectrum

Because it can be exasperating for parents to deal with the behavioral challenges of a youngster with Asperger’s (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA), it can be reassuring for them to know that some of the negative behaviors of their son or daughter often become positive traits in adulthood.

For example, the child who doodles and draws all through school may well become an artist; the most manipulative youngster often turns out to be a remarkable leader, entrepreneur or politician; the most obstinate youngster often turns out to have fierce determination; and the youngster who argues all the time (like a jail house lawyer) may actually become a lawyer someday.

This pattern has been evidenced again and again throughout my experience in working with families affected by autism spectrum disorders:
  • One bright child with AS and ADHD who was impulsive, highly distractible, and had a poor attention span, grew up to be an exceptional emergency healthcare specialist. In an emergency, his adrenaline was apparently stimulated, so he became highly focused, able to put his analytic abilities to use while doing several tasks at once.
  • One very hyperactive youngster with AS turned out to be a very enthusiastic, productive entrepreneur.
  • Another child who sold his mom’s jewelry for 50 cents apiece grew up to be a real estate tycoon.
  • One child who was an incessant tinkerer, taking everything apart, became a mechanical engineer.
  • One boy who tried to help his peers avoid arguing, and who was teased because he was always trying to keep the peace and never projected any opinion of his own, became a mediator.
  • Another child who was very inflexible became an airplane controller who could focus intensely on the task at hand.

Self-care needs to be a priority for moms and dads of kids on the autism spectrum. For example:
  • Parents need to find supportive relatives and friends.
  • They need to locate a support group or an online parent support community that will provide a place for them to vent frustrations and obtain valuable suggestions and parenting strategies.
  • Parents need to develop a strong sense of humor. The youngster with AS or HFA needs to feel that it is not the end of the world that he has a disorder – and he needs to be able to laugh at life’s odd twists and turns, rather than taking life too seriously. Moms and dads, too, need resilience and humor. When they can have fun, and be silly with their child, everyone benefits.
  • Moms and dads themselves need nurturing to help nurture their youngster on the spectrum.
  • They need more sleep than other parents do, because the child with “special needs” can sap his parents’ energy; his disorder demands constant assistance.
  • And, parents need to go out and have fun regularly – away from their child.



It’s challenging to be a parent of any child, but it’s even more difficult to be a parent of a youngster with an autism spectrum disorder. In these special cases, parents need to become an organizer, interpreter, analyst, advocate, a spiritual advisor, psychiatrist, problem solver, notetaker, lawyer, a friend and companion, a disciplinarian, and a cheerleader. That’s certainly juggling a lot of balls all at once! But the payoff will be worth it.

Someday, your high-functioning child may very well start his or her own business, become the Mayor of your city, the CEO of a major company, an engineer, or a medical professional. So, when your AS or HFA child becomes successful in adulthood, don’t be surprised – and remember I told you so.


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Do You Know When Your Child is Having a Tantrum versus a Meltdown?

The difference between a tantrum and a meltdown:



==> How to Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums in Children with Aspergers and HFA
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Addressing Problems with Time and Space: 12 Tips for Parents of Kids on the Autism Spectrum

“My 5-year-old son with high functioning autism suffers with poor planning abilities and disorganization. It’s feels like the most difficult job in the world to keep him on task. Any tips on how I can help him cope better with the everyday responsibilities and routines that are expected of him, such as keeping track of time, completing chores and online homework, not being so messy, and so on?”

Time and space are organizing procedures involved in every aspect of life. However, due to poor organization skills, central nervous system dysfunction, and neural immaturity, many kids with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) are very disorganized (e.g., appearing lost in time and space, likely to lose belongings frequently, unable to accomplish even the simplest task in a timely fashion, difficulty following instructions, unable to keep their rooms clean and orderly, etc.).

Difficulties with “sequencing” explain why these young people have trouble remembering things (e.g., the seasons, the alphabet, days of the week, the order of tasks and instructions, etc.). These issues are why they have trouble starting projects, sustaining them, and completing them.

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

Poor organization skills often affect home life, relationships with peers (who will take only a certain amount of forgetting and lateness), and academic life (e.g., forgetting to bring home their homework, not having the time-management skills to meet deadlines, difficulty establishing priorities, difficulty knowing what is most important to study - and what is less so, etc.). Sometimes, this disorganized behavior can appear to parents and teachers as simple defiance, when actually it stems from the very nature of the disorder.



12 ways to help children on the autism spectrum develop time-management and organization skills:

1. Make use of picture schedules. Kids with AS and HFA prefer having a routine. Having a visual schedule to refer to will make your son more aware of his routine and help him cope with changes when they occur.

2. Developing clear and reinforced routines can help with structuring time. Breaking routines and other tasks into manageable chunks and communicating what must be done first, next, and last is crucial. For example, if the youngster has to read a book and write a report, the manageable chunks would be: (1) locate the desired book, (2) read the book, (3) write down the basic book report information, and (4) summarize the book in writing.

3. Color code items (e.g., put some blue tape on a math text book along with blue tape on the math note book).

4. Set up specific areas for different activities (e.g., homework area, art and craft area, etc.). Also, get the appropriate tools for each area (e.g., a comfortable chair and a bookshelf in the reading area, shelves for puzzles and games in that area, tables for the child to work at in the art and craft area, etc.).

5. Planning is essential to time-management. For example, if you are going to the museum, have your child make a list of what exhibit he wants to visit first, second, third, and so on.

==> Teaching Social Skills and Emotion Management to Children and Teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

6. Parents - and teachers - can assist these “special needs” kids by engaging them in planning activities (e.g., organizing what needs to be done to collect food for the homeless, planning a garden, planning celebrations, and planning that involves developing lists, going shopping, checking off the lists, and then charting the tasks still to be done - which can then in turn be checked off).

7. Make use of visual timers so your child can see how much time is left. This will teach the concept of time in minutes or hours.

8. Help your child to organize his own stuff by category (e.g., cars and trucks together, specific types of games together, etc.) in large baskets or bins. Label the baskets with pictures so he will remember which baskets are for which category.

9. Every day, set a special time for the child to put things away, make notes in his planner, and clean up his work space.

10. Some AS and HFA children have language learning disabilities (i.e., trouble deciphering language, listening, following instructions, etc.). Thus, it is helpful if parents and teachers limit the number of words used in giving directions (e.g., making use of simple phrases such as “go upstairs” … “close the window” … “come down” …etc.).

11. Get a simple daily planner or agenda book and have the child write down everything each day (e.g., homework assignments, chores, favorite television shows, etc.).

12. Lastly, there's a variety of time-management apps that go beyond simple list-makers. Here are some of the best ones available today:
  • Evernote (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, Kindle Fire, Nook HD): The child can access his notes, images, lists, sounds, and links from any device or computer with this productivity app.
  • Skitch (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, Kindle Fire): An Evernote add-on that allows the child to annotate and share images (e.g., maps, photos, original sketches, etc.).
  • My Video Schedule (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch): This scheduling app teaches structure, time-management, and motivation.
  • Remember the Milk (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, Kindle Fire): A task-organizing app to stay on top of everything that needs attention.
  • TextMinder SMS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch): The sound or vibration of a text message serves as a one-off or recurring reminder.
  • Time Timer (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android): This app teaches time-management skills while encouraging the child to work efficiently and stay on task.
  • Timers4Me - Timer & Stopwatch (Android, Kindle Fire): The child can use his own ringtones and images with this app for multiple timers, stopwatches, and alarm.

All of these apps are useful, engaging, and have the hidden agenda of developing time-management and organization skills.

More resources for parents of children and teens with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's:

==> 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

 ==> Launching Adult Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Guide for Parents Who Want to Promote Self-Reliance

 ==> Teaching Social Skills and Emotion Management to Children and Teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

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

==> Unraveling The Mystery Behind Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Audio Book
==> Parenting System that Reduces Problematic Behavior in Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism
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