Help for the Easily Agitated Child on the Autism Spectrum: Tips for Parents
“My son with high functioning autism will get so upset and frustrated to the point of meltdown. He becomes very aggressive and there is no calming him down or discussing things with him once he has crossed this line. And to make matters worse, there is no rhyme or reason to his explosions. What upsets him to no end one day doesn’t seem to bother him on another day. This makes it very hard to predict what’s coming. Help!” Due to the associated symptoms, kids with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and Asperger’s (AS) are more likely to become agitated than “typical” kids. There are numerous issues related to the disorder that may contribute to your son’s distress, for example: Difficulty handling changes to the daily routine Fatigue Impaired communicating skills Strong reliance on fixed routines Over-sensitivity to stimuli through the five senses Stress in the environment Tendency to be clumsy Difficulty identifying, understanding, and describing his emotions Tendency to mis