Challenging behaviors can be disruptive to daily life for individuals with autism. These include, but are not limited to, self-injury, aggression, property destruction, tantrums, disruptiveness, noncompliance, and repetitive behavior/stereotypy.
Common types of behaviour in autistic children
Some autistic children may behave in ways that put a lot of strain on you and your family. Some common autistic behaviours are: stimming (short for 'self-stimulating behaviour'), a kind of repetitive behaviour. meltdowns, a complete loss of control over behaviour.
These problem behaviors, which may also be referred to as externalizing behaviors, include self-injurious behavior (SIB), aggression toward others, temper tantrums, and non-compliance (Allik et al. 2006; Dominick et al. 2007; Zaidman-Zait et al. 2014).
The most common signs include problems with back-and-forth conversation, trouble with social relationships, repetitive actions, self-stimulating behaviors, limited interests, and being very sensitive.
A child with ASD can be challenging—they may be restless; have trouble sleeping, eating or speaking; experience seizures; or have meltdowns born of frustration or overstimulation. Expectations for a “normal” life may need to be adjusted.
ASDs are a group of disorders characterized by impairments in three domains, namely communication, reciprocal social interaction and behaviors that are restricted and repetitive in nature.
Every autistic person is different, but sensory differences, changes in routine, anxiety, and communication difficulties are common triggers.
An extensive review of the literature by White et al (2009) revealed that up to 84% of individuals with autism meet the criteria for clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders. Due to characteristic communication difficulties, an autistic person may have severe anxiety issues but have a decreased ability to express it.
Challenging behaviour can include tantrums, hitting or kicking other people, throwing things or self-harming. Behaviour is challenging if it is harmful to the person and others around them, and if it stops the person achieving things in their daily life, such as making friends or concentrating at school.
Here, I'll discuss three types of trigger: external, internal, and synthetic. These each have different strengths and weaknesses, and each can be used to design great behaviors that form lasting habits.
Many have problems with the meaning and rhythm of words and sentences. They also may be unable to understand body language and the meanings of different vocal tones. Taken together, these difficulties affect the ability of children with ASD to interact with others, especially people their own age.
Although the exact cause of autism is still unknown, there is evidence to suggest that genetics play a significant role. Since autism is less prevalent in females, autism was always thought to be passed down from the mother. However, research suggests that autism genes are usually inherited from the father.
Autistic children have communication difficulties, narrow interests and repetitive behaviour. Early signs of autism might include lack of interest in other people, including lack of eye contact. Autism can be diagnosed in some children from around 18 months of age.
Common life experiences such as facing the death of a loved one, failed romantic relationships, employment problems, etc., can exacerbate autism symptoms in adults. In these cases, autism symptoms can get worse with age, but not necessarily due to the disorder neurologically worsening.
What is high-functioning autism? There are three levels within ASD and what is considered “high-functioning” would fall in the level one category. High-functioning autism means that a person is able to read, write, speak, and handle daily tasks, such as eating and getting dressed independently.
Autistic children and teenagers are sometimes oversensitive to things like noise, crowds or temperature. They try to avoid sensory experiences.
The most common disruptive behaviour disorders include oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These three behavioural disorders share some common symptoms, so diagnosis can be difficult and time consuming.
defiance (e.g. ignoring or refusing to follow your requests) fussiness (e.g. refusal to eat certain foods or wear certain clothes) hurting other people (e.g. biting, kicking) excessive anger when the child doesn't get their own way.
A person's behaviour can be defined as "challenging" if it puts them or those around them (such as their carer) at risk, or leads to a poorer quality of life. It can also impact their ability to join in everyday activities. Challenging behaviour can include: aggression. self-harm.