Reply to Third family in my circle of special needs had others call cops on their children

Forum Index » Kids With Special Needs and Disabilities

Reply to "Third family in my circle of special needs had others call cops on their children"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]OP, you are using the term correctly and people need to move on. Welcome to the English language, words often have several meanings in different contexts and this is a common descriptor of the behavior you're describing.

In regard to aggression, it's hard. I don't know what level of functioning your son is at-whether he's verbal or physically or cognitively impaired, for example. It can unfortunately be dangerous for young men who don't appear normal and who cannot respond to authority figures quickly and without resistance if there's a problem. On the other hand, your child has to learn to be out in society to become a productive member of society.

Can you teach him some automatic, rote phrases to use if he should encounter a policeman, for example? "My name is Larlo. I have autism. I need help." Or whatever would be more appropriate to his level of functioning. Something drilled in so that it doesn't take effort to say should he need it when upset. One family I know had a little card that was always in his pocket and attached by a string to a belt loop, but I'm wary of them reaching into pockets if it can be avoided.

The other piece is understanding why you're seeing aggression. Is it due to frustration because the schedule has changed or something isn't what he expected? Is it from being overwhelmed in a sensory way? Is it from not knowing what's coming next and feeling anxiety? If you can figure out what's causing the behaviors (and sometimes it may change) you can try to preemptively address the concern, either with a visual schedule that he can refer to, a mini social story that gives him ideas about what he can do when X happens instead of Y, techniques for calming before it reaches the point of aggression, etc. Also look into more controlled environments until he's better able to stabilize his emotions and be safe. For example, sensory friendly films at AMC and Regal now have suitable movies for both young children and adults, to meet his cognitive needs and practice being in a social place where people are more likely to be understanding and unaffected. The more successes he has when being out, the more likely he'll be able to maintain that success in a less neutral situation.

I wish you the best, OP. The teen years are tough for all parents, but SN adds an extra layer to it all.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics