There are multiple behaviors that we initially incorporate in the education of our autistic child , but something inside us tells us that we must work on them, since they are not beneficial either for the child or for his correct integration with himself, neither at home nor in the classroom. social environment .

The education of typical children is easier in this sense, since we are very clear about the limits and demands that we determine for their education. However, when our children have some type of difficulty, disorder or condition of inequality , the patterns of this reality change and new situations appear that we often do not know how to manage .

In fact, sometimes these “different” behaviors seem fun, curious, or we simply dismiss them as “childish things” that are not very relevant. But one day our concern flares up and we decide to pay special attention to what has naturally happened.

How to evaluate the severity of the behavior?

This is not always an easy task, but let's look at some "red flags" in this regard.

Autistic traits in children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder)

Let's imagine our child at 10 years old, a preteen, with hyperactive or impulsive behaviors that are unusual in other children of this age, such as pulling hair, taking off clothes outside the home, biting, breaking things, throwing objects, throwing food. , puts your hand in the plate while eating, spitting, etc.

Other common symptoms that can be identified from an early age may be:

• Resistance to hugs and physical contact.
• They do not establish eye contact.
• Lack of interest in interacting with other children. They prefer to play alone.
• Delayed speech development or loss of previously acquired language skills.
• Difficulty starting or maintaining a conversation.
• Repetition of words or phrases without understanding their appropriate use.
• Difficulties understanding simple instructions.
• Development of specific routines or rituals and discomfort at minimal changes.
• Delays in movement, cognitive or learning skills.

It is important to emphasize that autistic traits can vary widely in each child , but generally focus on areas such as communication, social interaction and behavioral patterns.

If we detect any of these behaviors, there we have the line to evaluate if the behavior is occasional and unimportant, or it is time to get to work on it and establish an action plan .

How to treat a child with autism?

Well, before starting I would like to clarify, more than treating, what we are going to do is work with our child with ASD .

In these cases the action plan is much more necessary because it will determine your individual and social success, and, consequently, your happiness, but before starting it is very important to keep in mind that there is no pain, medical or health problem that is causing that behavior ; Sometimes, an intense behavioral expression can arise from an illness that signals the need to take appropriate medical actions.

That said, here are some tips for carrying out an evaluation if we sense that we have "behavioral" children (who present a significant amount of disruptive or inappropriate behavior).

FIRST TIP: Use a “behavior notebook”

The "Behavior Notebook" is a useful tool to evaluate and manage your child's behaviors.

In this sense, it is important to keep a daily record of the child's behaviors, both positive and negative.

The ideal would be to record in it the date, time, place and history, that is, what occurred before the recorded behavior. It is also advisable to make a detailed description of the behavior, for example, instead of writing "he had a tantrum", detail the action "he screamed for 10 minutes and threw all the toys that were within his reach."

Note how often the behavior occurs and its intensity. This will help identify patterns and document your and others' response to the child's behavior, as well as the natural consequences that followed.

This can be valuable for adjusting strategies and for discussions with professionals.

SECOND TIP: work one goal at a time

When working with children with autism it is essential to focus on one objective at a time or at most two, but that they are from two different areas and that they act independently.

Identify a specific area of behavior or skill that you want to improve or develop and make sure the goal is achievable and appropriate for the child's age and abilities.

Break the goal into smaller, more manageable steps and make sure the process is easy and clear, both for the child and for you.

And one more thing, behavioral changes don't happen overnight and if they don't it can be frustrating , for the child and for the parents.

THIRD TIP: Teamwork

Teamwork is essential when it comes to supporting and educating a child. The message we must convey is " we are a team and we must act together " that includes all family members, teachers, therapists...

It is essential that everyone understands the objectives and strategies to achieve the established objectives. We have to be consistent because that is where our strength and effectiveness lies .

FOURTH TIP: the Action Plan

Taking into account everything we have seen so far, the fourth step is to develop an action plan. That is crucial to effectively address the needs of the child, and the strategies are as follows:

Prevention

It is necessary to reduce the frequency of problematic behaviors. To do this, we must anticipate and avoid situations that trigger them , at least until we develop the ability to manage them effectively.

Our objective should be to redirect these behaviors towards constructive and functional actions , integrating them positively into the child's behavior.

This preventive approach not only helps control unwanted behaviors, but also facilitates the incorporation of more appropriate and beneficial responses for their development.

Reinforce appropriate behaviors

There are many situations in which these inappropriate behaviors could appear but do not , therefore, we will focus our attention on the child's effort and positivity.

We often underestimate and normalize many moments that are actually significant achievements for our children. These moments are extraordinarily positive and powerful to reinforce appropriate behaviors in the child.

When this happens, we should highlight and reward what we want them to do, instead of focusing solely on correcting what we would prefer they not do, for example, "this is what I want you to do instead of this I don't want you to do."

Extinction

Extinction is continuing as if nothing had happened, not giving attention to certain behaviors so that they lose their effect , which implies continuing with what we are doing instead of stopping, being silent, looking at the child and then continuing with a discomposed face.

It is about the behavior not continuing to have an impact on the day to day, eliminating stress, discomfort, disorientation... "the more nervous you are the calmer I am" this is very useful when we do not have time to redirect it, "everything you do not see does not exist », and in everyday life there are many moments when this happens and we do not have the strength or the time to handle the contingency correctly, so keep walking and take a deep breath, another time it will be!

Action

We determine the function that this behavior has and we manage to think of functional alternatives to give it an outlet, in a constructive way. Here are some examples:

• If we have children who bite, use teethers and oral stimulation;
• If we have children who pull their hair, let's use fabrics, dolls, massages where the contact and the sensory part are strong.
• If we have children who undress, provoke it intentionally more times a day but in a controlled manner, for example for a bath and monitor their clothing and temperature so that there is nothing that bothers them;
• If there are children who continually put in food, seekers of water and liquids, we will direct the game to water, mud, foam...

The trick is to find a way to redirect the behavior towards something more useful, appropriate and that serves as effective self-regulation for the child.

In situations that overwhelm us, we must think that "it is not that he does not want to but that he cannot act in any other way." Here language has a lot to do with it because it is directly proportional to the absence of behaviors.

Consistency

Among specialists in autistic children there is a maxim: before a behavior disappears, it increases in frequency and intensity .

It is true, and it should be taken into account. If every time we have rung the bell on a door they have opened it for us, when this does not happen , what do we do? keep calling until we resign ourselves to the fact that no one is home and leave or choose another way to gain access inside.

So this is where the first 3 points must be strong and immovable (Prevention + Reinforce + Extinction)

With all these guidelines we can have an effective action against these behaviors, always providing and promoting the communication of our children so that they can use another type of expressiveness for these moments that we naturalize through communication.

Have patience, serenity and accompany your children and rely on expert professionals to establish better day-to-day functioning.

You will get it for sure!!!