In addition to difficulties with understanding emotions, individuals with ASDs may become angry quickly and may have difficulty calming themselves effectively. They often need to be taught skills to cope with an increase in irritability once they have been able to identify these emotions.
Background. Irritability in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is common and impairing, yet its mechanisms remain understudied.
Some autistic people can experience difficulties making themselves understood, understanding what's being said to them, and understanding facial expressions and body language. This can cause considerable frustration and anxiety which may result in anger or distressed behaviour.
Caregivers who have children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be dealing with symptoms of irritability. Your child may not be able to properly communicate what they are feeling or thinking. This can lead to frustration and irritability, which in turn can lead to aggression or self-harming behavior.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
Sensory Issues
Many people with autism experience sensory processing disorder. This is more commonly known as sensory overload. Noise, crowds, bright lights, strong tastes, smells, and being touched can feel unbearable to someone with HFA. This makes going to restaurants, movies, and shopping malls difficult.
So-called 'lower-order' repetitive behaviors are movements such as hand-flapping, fidgeting with objects or body rocking, and vocalizations such as grunting or repeating certain phrases. 'Higher-order' repetitive behaviors include autism traits such as routines and rituals, insistence on sameness and intense interests.
Autism can cause a person to miss many social cues such as facial expressions and verbal signals that are commonly used while interacting. If a person with autism says something that appears rude or offensive, it is most likely a result of missing or not being able to read typical social cues.
Many autistic people have meltdowns. The public often finds it hard to tell autism meltdowns and temper tantrums apart, but they are very different things. If your family member or the person you support has meltdowns, find out how to anticipate them, identify their causes and minimise their frequency.
Overreacting to the situation. Being unable to calm down on their own but also being too upset to listen to calming suggestions. Engaging in self-harm behaviors, for example, head banging and hair pulling. Engaging in self-stimulatory repetitive behaviors, also known as “stimming,” like hand flapping and clapping.
Aggression in autism can involve severe tantrums, anger, hostility, sudden-onset violent outbursts including self-harm and rage 'episodes'. Up to 20% of individuals with autism exhibit such violent behaviours.
Yelling at children with autism can cause depression and negatively impact the emotional wellbeing of the child.
People with high functioning autism often are aware of their challenges and social deficiencies, sometimes causing repetitive thoughts about this, leading to anger and possible aggression. Knowing how to deal with the anger and help your child find the tools to manage this will bring a sense of harmony and relief.
This may take the form of severe tantrums, lashing out, etc. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two medicines for the treatment of autism-related irritability. They are risperidone (Risperdal) and aripiprazole (Abilify). They belong to a class of drugs known as atypical antipsychotics.
Yes! Although not necessarily all autistic people, many autistic people are more than capable of dating, being physically intimate, and empathizing with their partners.
Signs of High-Functioning Autism in Children
May appear more mature for their age and have above-average intelligence. A tendency to avoid eye contact. Trouble deviating from a routine or adapting to changes. Trouble making friends and maintaining social relationships or not “fitting in” with peers.
The high-functioning person with autism is not a manipulative, scheming person who is trying to make life difficult. They are seldom, if ever, capable of being manipulative. Usually misbehavior is the result of efforts to survive experiences which may be confusing, disorienting, or frightening.
Many autistic children love to argue and need to have the last word. Autistic children often find it distressing to not be 'right'; this is due in part to the need to look 'perfect' to protect their self-esteem. It's not important to get the final word as the adult; don't get into a downward cycle of arguing.
The popular image of a person with autism is a quiet, isolated individual who prefers solitude to social interaction. This is often true, but by no means always the case. While autistic people, by definition, have challenges with social communication, many enjoy social interaction, group activities, and friendships.
Therefore, it appears that while some individuals may be aware they are autistic, others may not fully understand why they have difficulties connecting with people socially or engaging in conversation - yet still realize they are 'different.
Amazingly, many of the fears reported in our sample were described in children with autism 70 years ago by Kanner, including fear of vacuum cleaners, elevators, mechanical toys, swings, and the wind. Children with autism perceive, experience, and react to the world differently than children without autism.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference that affects the way people think and communicate with others. A preference for logical thinking is a characteristic of autism in many people. Not all autistic people lean on logic to guide their thinking, though.
Individuals with autism stand out in creative thinking
Autistic people have the ability to think in an abstract way, and they tend to provide solutions to problems in a different way than everyone else. Individuals on the spectrum are often described as people with the ability to think outside the box.