Defiant Behavior in Autistic Children

Article written by Working health remedies

Autistic children who display defiant behavior present parents with their own particular set of challenges. Angry bursts involving pushes, kicks, rocking, projectiles, and unexplained laughter are all common experiences for the parents and children involved. Despite the unruliness of such situations, most parents have learned, the hard way, that these outbursts are often the result of a child trying to communicate but being unable to do so in what would be a more expected manner. Their developmental challenges can hinder their best attempts and result in feelings of severe frustration.

Moreover, Autistic children can oftentimes be sensitive to overstimulation and to rapid changes of any sort. Being aware of the problem can help parents better manage sources of overstimulation. They can also learn to introduce changes into the home at a more gradual pace. When changes are necessary, experts recommend that parents of Autistic children remain, themselves, as calm as possible. An upset or panicked parent can be an unwitting trigger to a child’s defiant behavior pattern. It’s important to note that this does not mean that the parent is responsible for his or her child’s Autistic behaviors. But it is possible for parents to react to their children’s behavior in a way that minimizes the risk of contributing to an Autistic child’s instability.