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What can I do with my son's pinching behavior?

     Pinching behavior is usaully observed children with autism like my two pupils in the morning.This undesirable behavior may occur when the child asked to do something he doesn't want to do.I observed this to my pupils in the morning .When i give him  the task using the work system the child will pinch me hard when the activity given is difficult.It also occurs when the child is having a tantrum,he pinch so hard and it causes bruises in my arms.Until now im still searching the best technique or approach on how to control this strange behavior of such pupils.In the case of my pupils,when the child started to pinch me i said to him "No No No pinching" and "I hold his hands saying no pinching just clap your hands".If the child will continue to pinch i used TIME OUT.Wherein  i bring the child to the corner in the room,leave him alone  at least 5 minutes  so that he will realize that pinching is not good.Im very thankful that this strategy was effective to my one pupil,i was able to control his pinching behavior  but the other one pupil that i have  his pinching behavior was more evident until now.He really pinch surprisingly  hard and if the nails aren't cut  short,it  leaves nail scratches and sometimes bruises.

     Upon reading some articles in the websites.I was able to find out some strategies that might help control the pinching behavior.

When the child pinches;

* grab her hand firmly and say NO.

* take his little pinching hand and hold it infront of his body in your hand.Let him be mad and cry for 15-20 seconds and then release.

* tried to get ready for it,his hands would be touching  your skin and tried to get ready to stop him as soon as you can.

* use some interesting objects the child could pinch while doing the activity wherein you could put his hands  when he start to pinch like the koosh ball,a beanbag,a novel squish toy,any pinch bag or anything that he can sqeeze easily between her fingers.(redirecting to something fun)

* tried to let him pinch himself the least painful parts of his body like the hands arms and stomach.

      The above suggested activities is not yet applied to my pupils.I think some of this activities when applied to my pupil might effective.Starting on Monday i will apply some of the suggested activities above to the  pupil that i have who pinch so hard until now,then i will observe which among the suggested activity above is more effective.I will just share to all of you what will be the outcome after applying the suggested activities.

References:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/childBehavior/messages/33225.html
http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/worries/pinching.html.

 

My son is 5 years old, and his "stimming" is jumping up and down.
What can I do?

      "Stimming" behavior or known as a Stereotypy or self-stimulatory behavior.  This is a kind of repetitive body movements or repetitive movement of objects. This behavior is common in many individuals with developmental disabilities; however, it appears to be more common in autism. In fact, if a person with another developmental disability exhibits a form of self-stimulatory behavior, often the person is also labeled as having autistic characteristics. Stereotypy can involve any

     one or all senses.  One you mentioned is called as vestibular, which is jumping up and down.

     So, I how can we teach this kind of behavior to a child by telling them not this kind of behavior? How can we tell them this cannot be done outside or in public area?  Of course, we cannot stop them!  This may actually cause psychological damage to stop a child doing it.

     This might compare to involuntary movements. Maybe the child is excited, one way to release or the child's is nervous, one way to calm down himself. The movements could also be compared to that of an infant, who excited kicks his legs and flairs his arms when he sees someone approach. His movements are not purposeful, but a natural response to his enthusiasm. So, we really need to carefully observe the child "Why is my child doing...that? It looks so strange.

     I am not an expert on what to do with your daughter's behaviors; however I do know techniques on how to teach them you can try these;

1. Put the sticker on and tell the child he/she can jump. Make a "big deal" about it.

- Then take the sticker off and tell the child "NO jumping.
-  Have the sticker off for short periods then gradually extend the periods of time that the child does not have the sticker.

2. Another strategy might be to create a schedule for him and have a symbol next to the items on the schedule when it is OK to jump. For example, his after school schedule might have pictures of snack, TV, reading, play outside, bathroom, and dinner. You might put a little jumping photo or symbol next to TV and play outside so that he can anticipate that those are times when it is OK to jump. Knowing that jumping time will come later can help some children put off a preferred activity because they are able to see when it will happen.

     What is important most is your patience and try other strategies mean that if you fail the first tryout, try another strategy.  Don't give up!

References:
1 http://search.yahoo.com (Behavior Management Notes)2 http://www.do2learn.com ( Advice)3 http://www.google.com ( Stereotypic/self-stimulatory; by Stephen M.Edelson, Ph.D.)

 

How to build apprepriate routine of my son with Autism?

     This is how one of my student's routine is. Upon arrival, he will get his lunch box from his bag; eat the 3 MAXX lemon candies and then drink his FUNCHUM mango juice. Afterwards, he would get the volleyball; dribble it to the kitchen to get a cup. Then he will go to the water dispenser and get water then come inside the classroom. When he is already seated, he will now ask paper for him to cut. The only activity that can be done before his cutting frenzy is EXERCISE, that's it, no more, no less. Or else he will throw tantrums and be in a bad mood all throughout the afternoon. After cutting, he will take a bath and after that, you may give him any activity that you want.

     Before learning about ROUTINE, I perceived it as somewhat a ritual in order for him to be able to function properly because that is how he had been accustomed in doing for quite a number of months. It has been comfortable to him that way, that's why he can't do away with it. I found out that I wasn't quite far with the correct idea about routine. These are what I was able find.      Routines are of high interest to children with autism. Learning and using routines are learning strengths. They like the predictability of routines and, left to their own plans, often establish their own rigid routines and become very upset if they are disrupted. 1

     Some individuals may develop habitual behaviors such as constantly washing their hands or checking locks; others may have obsess ional thoughts regarding distressing topics such as death, illness or making mistakes (Howlin, 1998). The individual may find changes to their physical environment, such as the layout of furniture in a room, or the presence of new people/absence of familiar ones very difficult to manage. Sometimes minor changes such as transitions between two activities can be distressing, for others unexpected changes are the most difficult to manage. Some individuals can have very specific and rigid preferences when it comes to the food they eat (such as only eating foods of a particular color), the clothes they wear example only wearing clothes made from specific fabrics or objects used on a day-to-day basis such as the type of soap or brand of toilet paper they will use.

     There are a number of ways on how you can respond to this kind of dilemma. Read on.

1.  Functional analysis To gather information about possible causes for the behavior and to develop a hypothesis or theory as to why the behavior might be occurring.

2. Environmental Structure Increasing structure in the physical and social environments can assist an individual to feel more in control of their world and may reduce anxiety.

Some strategies to increase environmental structure include:
a. Visual Cues - Visual cues such as objects, photos, symbols or written lists can help reduce some of the anxiety related to difficulties in predicting what will happen next in a sequence of activities and can support an individual who has a strong preference for routines.
b. Preplanning strategies ? Preplanning can assist the individual to prepare for stressful activities or events or for any upcoming changes that we might be aware of. Present information to the individual about the event at a time when everyone is relaxed and happy.

 3. Skill Development  

a. Coping with changes - Gradually exposing the new object, place, person or circumstance to the individual in small, manageable chunks can help the individual to cope with the change. Reinforcement (such as praise or other rewards) can be provided to the individual for coping with these minor changes to encourage increased tolerance. Presenting information visually (ie through visual symbols, timetables, or calendars) can assist in reducing the impact of a change in routine or circumstance. Using Social Stories to explain why changes to a particular situation or routine may sometimes occur can also assist the individual's understanding. Redirecting the individual's attention to a calming activity and encouraging them to use simple relaxation strategies such as breathing exercises when unexpected changes occur can also assist the person to cope. 2

4. Make use

His routine of cutting paper maybe used as a preliminary to making recycled paper. Routine is an important part of any Autistic's life, and anything that causes a change in routine can affect behavior. All of us need to recognize this need for routine, and understand that any change can cause behavioral problems. No one is to blame, no one is wrong, no one is right. These changes are situational and in many cases can not be avoided. With understanding of this basic characteristic of Autistic behavior, many problems can be avoided.3 Have a deeper look on the routine of your child.

References:
1 Susan Boswell, Building Communication Around RoutinesDivision TEACCH, available from http://www.teacch.com/bldcomm.htm
2 The National Autistic Society, Obsessions, Repetitive Behaviors and RoutinesAvailable from http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=367&a=7103  
3 Adelle Tilton:Your Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders Changes in Routine Equals Changes in Behavior[article]About. com available from http://autism.about.com/library/weekly/aa010701a.htm

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