Expert: Catherine Ridenour - 2/22/2006

Question
I'm not a parent but a preschool teacher. I have a 2 yr. old who is being tested now for autism. He rarely responds when calling his name. Rarely makes eye contact. Becomes physically aggressive when he's not allowed to do as he pleases. Does no interacting with any of the other children. Does not communicate verbally, just makes sounds. My question is this: How do we disipline him? He climbs ontop of tables & chairs, pinches, bites and squeezes the children's & teacher's faces. Sometimes leaving marks that require ice packs & bandages.We understand he doesn't respond to corrective measures as the other children do. Meanwhile one teacher (there are 2 of us in a room)has to be with him at all times to protect him & the other children from injuries he might incur or cause. This leaves the other teacher to tend to 10 - 15 other children's needs. I just want to know how we can help this child until he is properly diagnosed. Maybe you know of a website I can go to that could help guide us.

Answer
Hi Mary,

It is important to realize this boy has no concept that other people have thoughts or feelings.  It's called "theory of mind" and the lack of it makes him immune to feelings of guilt or empathy.  At least, for the time being.

Neither does he have any framework to understand his own feelings. His limited language skills are part of this.  He can't name feelings, "mad, sad, glad," because his mind is not processing words and because people on the Autistic Spectrum find emotional information overwhelming or confusing.  He does not recognize a feeling until it gets so strong he has to act on it.  Some autistic people even experience pain during strong emotion.

It may be hard to tell, but he could be very bright.  It's difficult to test non-verbal children.  Give him credit for being able to learn.  He probably is.  It's just going to take some special help for him to make the connection.

You know enough about 2 year olds to know they are all volatile and unpredictable.  More so the autistic 2 year old.

Autistic children at his level require a full-time supervisor.  If you are a private pre-school it may be beyond your means to provide this.  If he is diagnosed as autistic, the school district is responsible for early intervention, speech therapy and occupational therapy.  He may not be your charge much longer.

In the meantime, discipline needs to consist, primarily, of prevention of opportunities to mis-behave. Most of these kids act out when overwhelmed by stimuli.  Count on him to have problems with crowding, loud noise and sudden change.

Make transitions from one activity to another very clear and give him some lead time.  5 minutes before:"Scott, we are going to have song time in a few minutes." 2 minutes before: "Scott, it's time to put away the blocks for song time." Then,"It's song time now, Scott, let's move to the chairs."  Even then, you are likely to get resistance if he still wants to stack blocks.

When he does lose it, remove him to a quiet environment and let him regain his composure.  Trying to calm him by actively talking to him or touching him will only aggravate the situation.

There are some good books about handling autistic children in the school setting.  It's probably easiest if you do a search at Amazon.com for "autism" and "discipline" together.

If he stays in your class, find a source for "social stories".  They are used to teach social skills to autistic children by putting them in a story that focuses on one particular skill and situation such as how to share a toy. They can be purchased and you can make your own after you get the pattern.  Beware, this is only one tool for teaching him, not a cure-all.

Here are a few links to sites where you can read articles or find additional information:

http://www.autism.org   Lots of links and resources

http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/
  this is the OASIS home page

http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/SocialLeisure/clarifySStories.html    This a good discussion of the pros and cons

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/asperger.htm

http://www.patientcenters.com/autism/news/resources.html
  Lots of books listed here.

Best wishes,
Catherine