FAQautism

A youngster with autism sneaks into the kitchen at night and eats an entire carton of ice cream. In spite of his family’s watchful eye, an 8-year-old attempts to flush whole rolls of toilet paper down the drain. An adult with autism obsessively hides objects, including car keys, cell phones, purses, and other important objects. The common denominator to these and other behavior issues is access. In many cases, we can prevent problems by simply keeping items out of sight and out of reach.

Listen Now:

Standard Podcast [ 5:30 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

HIDDEN KEYS. A mom found a simple solution to the problem of her son looking through her purse when she wasn’t looking. Several times a week she discovered he had taken her keys out of her purse and hidden them. The young adult had obsessively hidden objects for many years, but hiding mom’s car keys was the last straw. After years of anger and frustration, mom finally realized it was her responsibility to keep her purse someplace less accessible than the middle of the kitchen table. Although he was certainly tall enough to reach up on top of the refrigerator, he never attempted to get her keys again once she moved her purse to the less visible spot.

EMPTY ICE CREAM CARTONS. In the case of the midnight ice cream thief, Dad simply quit bringing home large cartons of the tempting sweet. If the family wants ice cream for dessert, he purchases smaller containers for the family to eat in one sitting. But no ice cream is stored in the freezer. Once Dad took responsibility for removing the temptation, the unhealthy habit disappeared.

TOILET PAPER ROLLS. The same principle worked in the case of the youngster obsessed with flushing rolls of paper down the toilet. Once the family learned to keep extra rolls of toilet paper in a hall closet, their plumbing headaches disappeared.

LAWN DETERGENT. After noticing brown patches in their lawn, a family discovered their adult son with autism was pouring the liquid laundry detergent on the plants, trees, and grass. They struggled for months without success to make him stop. Then they realized they could keep a small plastic container with a lid with just enough soap for one wash. The big container of soap was stored in a utility closet without telling their son of the new location. They didn’t even need to lock the closet, but they did learn to refill the container when their son was not looking.

TIP FOR THE DAY: When dealing with some behavior challenges in autism, it is up to us to take a close look at the circumstances, then to take responsibility for removing the temptation when possible.

NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com

Automatically generated related posts:

1. Remove the Temptation Difficult behavior tops the list of challenges that many parents...
2. Ice Cream Ban Some individuals with autism have milk allergies, but want to...
3. VODcast: Temptation How can you stop someone with autism from sneaking in...
4. Picky Eaters Part 2 In some cases, the peculiar food preferences can compromise health...
5. Snack Monster Several of my friends with autism are obsessed with snacks....