Thursday, 12 November 2009

• Discipline for those with Autism

  I was asked recently about how I discipline my two sons, both of whom have autism. That question took me by surprise. See, these people were astounded by how well-behaved the boys were and that they didn't throw temper tantrums the same way other kids with autism do.

  First, I told them my boys are unique to begin with. No one person with autism is like any other person with autism, even though they all have the same diagnosis. Because each person is an individual to begin with, it only stands to reason that each person's autism will effect them differently so it is unfair to compare.

  Secondly, I told them I had to figure out which behaviors were in their control and which were not. Sounds simple but isn't intuitive by nature! When one of my sons misbehaves, I simply have them do the correct behavior, multiple times. Why? It has been found that some of those with autism, learn best by repetition. If my child has not been taught the correct behavior, how is he supposed to know ahead of time what that behavior is? And I keep in mind that while I may have taught him how to correctly ask his brother to share, that is not the same as teaching him how to ask a classmate to share. To either one of my sons, these situations are not at all similar because they usually happen at different places, with different items being shared and with different people doing the sharing. See? Completely different! 
  

  If I cannot teach them a correct behavior, perhaps because they cannot control this particular issue, I redirect and use other behavior management techniques. They should not be penalized for something that is not within their means of control. Over time, using the correction action, misbehavior decreases naturally. So if the behavior continues after a month or so, it becomes obvious this is something he cannot control.

  Thirdly, I pray for patience! Any mother should really. It comes in handy!

  I recently read a book, by Dr. Cary Chugh, called "Don't Swear With Your Mouth Full!" that discussed very similar discipline techniques. It took me less than a week to read it and offers great sections that parents can easily refer back to if they are unfamiliar with this idea. See, difficult kids (kids with autism would be in this category sometimes) require different discipline. You can read about the book here: carychugh.com/?page_id=12

  Another program that might help (especially with children who have been diagnosed as having Asperger's syndrome) is The Total Transformation Program by James Lehman who has over 30 years of helping difficult children and their parents. (His program can be found at www.thetotaltransformation.com. ) It is like an at-home course for parents that come with lessons for the parents to complete (workbook, audio cds and DVDs). It costs more than the book above, but really is more like a crash course in child psychology! I used this course myself and was very impressed with the results as my oldest son not only has autism but also oppositional defiance disorder.

  Either one would help any parent, even those parents whose children have autism.
  

  
  

  • 4:00 PM
  • 403 Views
  • 0 eProps
  • 0 Comments