Re: Help; violent autistic boy

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Posted By Bram Hornstein on November 25, 2000 at 13:59:36:

In Reply to: Help; violent autistic boy posted by goldierutherford@hotmail.com on November 22, 2000 at 00:05:19:

: I work with a very sweet, 8 year old, autistic boy,
: who is prone to having extremely violent outbursts, which can be very damaging to his carer, if he doesnt get exactly as he wants. This can occur with something as small as going around the wrong corner, or not stopping the van at MacD's, even if he has had MacD's 5 minutes earlier. Myself and the other carers are having a lot of trouble figuring out how to deal with this is a loving way, and are not too happy about being kicked, bitten, pinched etc several times a day.
: Does anybody have any suggestions, please!!
: Also suggestions on how to deal with him running away would be greatly appreciated.
: Thanks
: Goldie

Goldie,

The first thing to try is to BE HAPPY or at least accepting that he is doing these behaviors. I understand they may not be behaviors that you want, but you could still be ok with it. If you are "not too happy" about it then you may not respond in an effective and loving way. Next I would suggest defending yourself in a very gentle and "boring" way. If he is trying to bite you then place the palm of your hand on his forehead and keep him away from you. Be ok that he is trying to bite. You can talk to him in a calm manner and tell him this will not get him what he wants or you could simply say nothing. Experiment and see what happens. After accepting this as what he is doing and being ok with it, I would then be very aware of how I (or others) are responding to him. I would guess he is getting (or did in the past) a fair amount of attention or reaction. Perhaps he even may have gotten what he wanted by doing this behavior. Therefore, he will keep doing it because it worked. The key is to show him he gets nothing from this now. Not what he wanted or any reaction from the people working with him. Then show him another way (like talking calmly if he does speak) that does work. If it is something he can have or do and he asks for it, then move VERY FAST and get it for him. Show him you move fast when he is calm and talks, but don't move at all (or very slow) when he screams or is violent.

Last, or perhaps first, would be to go to a Start-Up class if you have not already done so. Also, you could always call Option for a phone consult. They are very helpful.

Almost forgot about diet. He may be responding to something he is eating. Also, I would try an experiment giving him 2000-3000mg vit C each day for a month and see if you note any changes. Vit. C has been proven to be helpful in this area. ARI has a good paper on this on their web site. See my web page for more info about other possibilities. www.bhare.org Good luck,
Bram

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Subject: Re: Re: Help; violent autistic boy

Comments:: : I work with a very sweet, 8 year old, autistic boy, : : who is prone to having extremely violent outbursts, which can be very damaging to his carer, if he doesnt get exactly as he wants. This can occur with something as small as going around the wrong corner, or not stopping the van at MacD's, even if he has had MacD's 5 minutes earlier. Myself and the other carers are having a lot of trouble figuring out how to deal with this is a loving way, and are not too happy about being kicked, bitten, pinched etc several times a day. : : Does anybody have any suggestions, please!! : : Also suggestions on how to deal with him running away would be greatly appreciated. : : Thanks : : Goldie : Goldie, : The first thing to try is to BE HAPPY or at least accepting that he is doing these behaviors. I understand they may not be behaviors that you want, but you could still be ok with it. If you are "not too happy" about it then you may not respond in an effective and loving way. Next I would suggest defending yourself in a very gentle and "boring" way. If he is trying to bite you then place the palm of your hand on his forehead and keep him away from you. Be ok that he is trying to bite. You can talk to him in a calm manner and tell him this will not get him what he wants or you could simply say nothing. Experiment and see what happens. After accepting this as what he is doing and being ok with it, I would then be very aware of how I (or others) are responding to him. I would guess he is getting (or did in the past) a fair amount of attention or reaction. Perhaps he even may have gotten what he wanted by doing this behavior. Therefore, he will keep doing it because it worked. The key is to show him he gets nothing from this now. Not what he wanted or any reaction from the people working with him. Then show him another way (like talking calmly if he does speak) that does work. If it is something he can have or do and he asks for it, then move VERY FAST and get it for him. Show him you move fast when he is calm and talks, but don't move at all (or very slow) when he screams or is violent. : Last, or perhaps first, would be to go to a Start-Up class if you have not already done so. Also, you could always call Option for a phone consult. They are very helpful. : Almost forgot about diet. He may be responding to something he is eating. Also, I would try an experiment giving him 2000-3000mg vit C each day for a month and see if you note any changes. Vit. C has been proven to be helpful in this area. ARI has a good paper on this on their web site. See my web page for more info about other possibilities. www.bhare.org Good luck, : Bram