Expert: Trey McGowan - 2/24/2008

Question
I am a teacher in a self-contained classroom for students k-3, most of which have autism.  Most of the students are high functioning, verbal, and can complete paper and pencil activities.  However, I have one student who is lower functioning and has been a challenge.  He can speak, but generally just in single words.  He usually does not like pencil and paper activities, so I have tried doing more velcro based activities for him, such as matching, grouping, etc.  He is learning to follow the school schedule and that he will get to use the computer as a reward if he goes through the first 3 centers.  However, my biggest concern with this student is his aggressive outbursts.  If he decides he does not want to do something and feels he is being forced to do something new then he will begin to shout in a gutteral voice.  If we tell him to sit, and he does not want to, he will repeat it in this escalated voice.  The most extreme cases occur if we outright tell him "no" or "stop"  This seems to only make his behaviors worse.  For instance, he hit a student and we told him "no."  This led to him screaming and kicking a desk for about 30 minutes.  I try to avoid outright telling him he is wrong and instead try to calmly lead him to something else, but sometimes he must be told no.  How can I deal with this child without it leading to this aggressive episodes?  Once the episode is over, he goes back to normal and we continue with his schedule as if nothing happened. I just wish we had a way to intervene, especially since it affects the other students in the classroom, since they thrive on the quiet classroom.  I know this is a lot and I feel it still does not provide the entire picture, but thank you for any help or suggestions you can give me.

Laura

Answer
Hello, Laura!

The time taken on this question (and I do apologize for it, by the way) was actually both to think and research, since I originally couldn't think of anything to say on it, other than 'send him home and let Mom and Dad deal with it'. The main reason being that at times, that's all you *can* do, and this may be one of them. Outbursts of this level, even on an autistic child, may well take a level of discipline that is impossible for a teacher, unless the parents have given their word. Not anything like spanking, but alone time, to let him work through these screaming fits, is sometimes the best you can do... and not something you can generally do in a 'school' class.

My first question on this one is: have you approached the parents about this issue? It is very possible that the parents have either an insight into how to handle this (they have to handle it at home, after all), or they may need to be alerted of this even if they don't. It is up to them to see to their child's discipline, autistic or not, and the level of these outbursts suggest that they might not have been doing so. and if that is the case, then you may need to take a strong hand and inform them that it is something they *need* to be doing. An autistic child may be a lot different than a neurotypical one, after all, but they too will learn that if screaming will get them their way, they will scream their head off to get something.

For you, yourself, finding out the way the parents handle this would be a good start. As I said, they may have some suggestions on it. However, when he throws a fit, the best thing you can do is to take him away from the students so he neither disturbs nor injures them, and leave him in a quiet place alone for a time to calm down. In this way, you're not rewarding him for his actions (since he's not 'getting his way'), and you are giving him the all-important time to get back into his 'thinking'. Once he has calmed down, you can take him back out and explain to him the 'rules' of what is being done. If he does not do this, then he will not get that. Also, try finding out if there is a pattern to his outbursts. Is he not wanting to sit because it's not 'time' to be sitting? Or is he just caught up in doing his own thing? You can work around some of his outbursts much better if you can start to recognize the patterns, and without teaching him that these outbursts are the way to get his way.

I have a few different answers on how to handle tantrums and meltdowns, with links to sites on how to do so. Others have answered this as well. They might help out with finding you some of the best ways to deal with these issues as well. If you have trouble finding them, let me know and I'll re-link for you!

Remember: if all else fails, then you may have to simply say 'This child is unable to handle the school curriculum' to the parents. Do it if you genuinely feel that he is too disruptive, as the needs of an entire classroom of needy children have to come before the needs of one autistic child. Particularly when he does have parents.

Hopefully this was a help to you! Feedback, questions, comments, follow-ups, et cetera, are always welcome!

Trey