FAQautism

What are our choices when chaos reigns in the lives an individual with autism? How can we increase contentment if their days are filled with agitation, frustration, and emotional meltdowns? The answer to these questions could fill several books, so, in these two podcast, we will just overview a few basic principles of taming chaos.

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For a variety of reasons, some of our friends with autism interrupt lives of others by screaming, scratching or biting other people, or knocking all objects in reach on the floor. Others attack any riders in arm reach when riding in a car and try to escape from seatbelt. Some individuals with autism find it difficult to eat, use the toilet, or sleep, and they express their frustration and discontent by lashing out. Even the most patient family members, teachers, therapists, and other friends can feel helpless to tame the chaos and increase the peace.

Some things can be changed, and other factors are out of our control, but we should not just resign ourselves to outbursts and tantrums. With some patient detective work, we can bring more contentment into the life of individuals with autism, even for the person who seems very disconnected from people, or who seems to be oblivious to our efforts. Let us look briefly at just four basic principles.

1. We must, of course, scout out the reasons for the discontent. Do the outbursts stem from issues related to physical and emotional health, sensory sensitivities, communication issues, or behavior and attitude issues? Or is there a combination of issues? For example, if a person screams and scratches when getting dressed, and throws shoes and socks, is it possible that they have tactile issues with their feet, making it very uncomfortable, or even unbearable, to wear shoes?

2. Once we know the factors involved in the emotional meltdowns, we need to change any changeable factors contributing to the problem. For example, if emotional meltdowns occur at bedtime, is it possible that the outburst is triggered by the requirement to take a bath or by several televisions blaring in other rooms or by the impatience of a parent insisting the child with autism go to sleep, NOW? Which of these can we change?

TIP FOR THE DAY: Tune in part 2 of Chaos Reigns to explore two more basic principles for dealing with explosive outbursts in order to bring some contentment into the lives of our friends with autism.

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

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