An adult autistic perspective on growing up on the Autism Spectrum.

Identifying the intentions behind behavior can lead to quicker resolution.

As I was learning to own my own behaviors one thing was repeated to me constantly.

You eat because you are hungry, drink because you are thirsty, so why did you do this?

Of course, I was in my teen years and was learning to moderate my reactions to situations. For younger children it may take a more observant technique.

If your child is displaying unwanted behaviors, careful observation may be key to controlling or changing it.

When your child acts out or displays the unwanted behavior, keep a written log.

Note the following:

Date and time.

What was happening just prior to the behavior, was there a trigger?

What was the behavior?

What was your initial reaction?

Did this intensify the behavior?

How long did the behavior last?

Did it change in intensity to any outside actions by others?

At the conclusion of the behavior, how is your child behaving now? Are they calm, hyperactive, happy, content, angry…ect?

It may take weeks of observing the behavior to note the trends surrounding it. You should be able to come to some concrete conclusions. Note trends that precede the behavior. What reactions you exhibit or others show in response to the behavior and how this affects the behavior.

The first step to changing unwanted behaviors is to figure out what is causing them. Next is to conclude what the child’s intentions behind the behavior are.

Does it get them what they wanted in the first place? If it is an emotional outburst, did they seem calmer afterwards and could that have been an underlying need of the outburst?

From the time we are born, we learn that we can influence our environments by changing our behavior. A newborns cry to signal that they are hungry or need some other thing is initially indistinguishable. Over a short period, they learn that louder higher pitched cries bring a quicker response.

These initial discovers opens up a communication line between them and their caregivers. A non-verbal child is not necessarily a child unable to communicate their needs. They communicate with their behavior and their responses.

Action to reaction. Is your child responding to something or are they attempting to initiate a response? The above suggestions could be beneficial to answer at least that one question.