Comments on: Dangerous Actions 3 http://faqautism.com/2009/10/dangerous-actions-3/ a resource for practical ideas Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:28:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Cathy http://faqautism.com/2009/10/dangerous-actions-3/#comment-961 Cathy Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:07:56 +0000 http://faqautism.com/?p=1396#comment-961 Thanks for your insights and ideas, Mary. This is a tough road for lots of folks, especially since some individuals with autism struggle with these issues for many years in spite of the most diligent and patient families, teachers, and therapists. And some people move past one issue, only to dive into another. Ahhh...the complexities of life! Thanks for your insights and ideas, Mary. This is a tough road for lots of folks, especially since some individuals with autism struggle with these issues for many years in spite of the most diligent and patient families, teachers, and therapists. And some people move past one issue, only to dive into another. Ahhh…the complexities of life!

]]> By: Mary Fletcher Jones http://faqautism.com/2009/10/dangerous-actions-3/#comment-959 Mary Fletcher Jones Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:01:28 +0000 http://faqautism.com/?p=1396#comment-959 This was an issue for my child for ages 2 through about 7 or 8. Eloping, destructive behavior, in the beginning some aggression...I thought it would always be like that but he seemed to turn a corner -- or maybe all those interventions started to work -- and the past 3 years have been dramatically better. Sensory sensitivities were a big trigger for him -- Xmas tree lights, the sound of motorcycles. In one grocery store, the sound of the cash registers was intolerable, but he was fine in another grocery store. We learned to work around it and he seemed to build up a tolerance for them over time. We took baby steps. Removing him from a medication that was supposed to calm him but turned out to be activating also worked wonders. I am not anti-med, but in my child's case, I find many Rx have the opposite effect on him. High-dosage vitamins can also cause problems. I think parents should consider the impact of medications when behavior is severe. The one thing that worked best was a calm, patient and understanding attitude, and a willingness to take the child and his needs seriously. This was an issue for my child for ages 2 through about 7 or 8. Eloping, destructive behavior, in the beginning some aggression…I thought it would always be like that but he seemed to turn a corner — or maybe all those interventions started to work — and the past 3 years have been dramatically better. Sensory sensitivities were a big trigger for him — Xmas tree lights, the sound of motorcycles. In one grocery store, the sound of the cash registers was intolerable, but he was fine in another grocery store. We learned to work around it and he seemed to build up a tolerance for them over time. We took baby steps.

Removing him from a medication that was supposed to calm him but turned out to be activating also worked wonders. I am not anti-med, but in my child’s case, I find many Rx have the opposite effect on him. High-dosage vitamins can also cause problems. I think parents should consider the impact of medications when behavior is severe.

The one thing that worked best was a calm, patient and understanding attitude, and a willingness to take the child and his needs seriously.

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