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Autism and Discipline

Properly disciplining any child is a tough job, but disciplining a child that suffers from autism can seem down right impossible. Regular discipline is hard enough but what are parents supposed to do when their autistic child is acting out in frustration or disappointment?

Fortunately, there are a few steps that you can take to ease the burden of disciplining a child who is autistic.

• Always try to use positive discipline. All children react better to positive statements, but autistic children, especially, need positive reinforcement more than negative struggles since they are not capable of handling their emotions well. One type of positive discipline that seems to work for a lot of families is incentive discipline. This type of discipline focuses on rewarding good behavior instead of on punishing bad behavior.

• Teach your child some relaxation techniques. Many times, when an autistic child is acting out, they are merely expressing frustration and an over loaded emotional state. If you can get your child to do some relaxation techniques during these over=heated times, they will be more able to clam down and stop the unacceptable behavior.

• Make your rules simple and easy for your autistic child to understand. Be very clear about explaining what is expected of your child. Set forth rules and explanations of good and bad behavior in clear, simple terms. The more a child understands about what is expected of them, the easier it will be for them to comply.

• Do not change your rules unexpectedly. Autistic children thrive on routine. Discuss all rules with your spouse then set forth a guideline for what is expected of your child. After you have explained these rules to your child, adhere to them rigidly.

• Do not delay punishment. Autistic children can become confused by delayed punishment. They may not understand what the punishment is actually for if it is not handed out immediately after the unacceptable event.

• Make sure that the punishment fits the unwanted behavior. Autistic children need help in understanding why certain behaviors are wrong. If the punishment is a natural consequence of the behavior it will reinforce the lesson for your child.

• Be consistent. Autistic children learn by repetition. Make sure that the punishment is always the same for each bad behavior. This will help your child learn and remember the difference between wrong and right.

• Never use verbal abuse to get your child to behave. Autistic children are very susceptible to their own emotions. Putting then down could lead to further frustration which will, in turn, lead to more behavioral breakdowns.

• Use physical punishment as a last resort. Using physical punishment is usually more harmfulto an autistic child than it is beneficial. Since these children have trouble gauging a person's emotions, they may feel as though you are hurting them for no reason at all. Plus, since they cannot understand it, physical punishment can lead to increased frustration for your child.

The most important thing to remember in dealing with punishment and an autistic child, is that the parents should present a united front. Parents should agree on all rules and all forms of punishment in order to maintain a routine and make things easier for their child. This united front will also help parents in supporting each other, which will take some of the frustration away from overly stressed out parents.

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