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Autism/Autism and aggression

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Expert: - 4/28/2010


Question
A little girl I know - a kindergartener - has autism and is having problems with hitting. She doesn't do it aggressively; just when it seems like other kids are in her space and she gives them a little hit to get them away. She also does it to me to get my attention, but I don't want her hitting. Why does she do this, and what can I do to redirect this behavior and make her attention-getting non aggressive?

Answer
Hi Natalie,

This is tricky because attention (positive or negative) reinforces behavior. You can't ignore it if she hurts another child, but you don't want her gaining from it, either.

Direct teaching of social skills is the best intervention. Simple social stories can be helpful. These stories feature the child as the subject and go something like "Suzy goes to kindergarten. There are many children in the class. When Johnny gets too close to Suzy, she uses her words to ask him for more space. 'Johnny, you are too close. Please give me more room.'"

Teach what is right to do rather than stopping what is done wrong. If wrong behavior occurs, always stop it and correct with "next time..."

Look for good behavior and give it attention. Notice when she does it right. "Suzy, I heard you ask for that book in a very nice way. Good job!"

Time and practice will help.

Best wishes,
Catherine  

Autism

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Catherine Ridenour

Expertise

I can answer your questions about parenting your High Functioning Autisic or Asperger`s Syndrome child. In particular, questions about family life, discipline, siblings, finding resources, and working with (sometimes opposing) the educational system are welcome.

Experience

I am the parent of an Asperger's Syndrome child who is now 22 years old. She went undiagnosed for 14 years of her life, so I have done extensive reading and Internet research into the possible cause of her difficulties. Even a short 8 years ago, A.S. was practically unheard of by the public educational system.

We fumbled our way through her childhood and early adolescence without any effective outside support. In some ways, that may have been a blessing as we were focused on her abilities rather than a label for her disability. However, I can think of many times when knowing WHY would have been comforting.

Had we known very early on, some social skills interventions might have made her life in school easier. At this point, I like her for who she is so I do not regret how things have turned out. More importantly, she likes herself.

Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education.

I have worked to educate myself about Autism in general and HFA/AS in particular.

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