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8 Difficult Autistic Behaviors (And Why They Happen)

Children with autism have numerous challenging behaviors for parents to deal with. Sometimes the behaviors seem to make no sense whatsoever. The child might seem unreachable, temperamental, and impossible to deal with. However, when we take a look at the underlying deficits that contribute to the problems, we can gain a better understanding. And with a little understanding, we are better equipped to find ways to help. The following is a list of eight typical behaviors of an autistic child, and their likely causes. This is not an exhaustive list of all autism symptoms, and some autistic children will only … Continue reading →

Brain Wiring: Understanding the Autistic Mind

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I remember asking our doctor about my son Kyle’s hand-flapping and wrist-twisting that accompanied his autism. “Will it ever go away?” I asked. “It’s the way his brain is wired,” was the response. It has been a decade since the doctor made that statement, and although “brain wiring” is certainly a factor in autism, new research has provided us with more complete information. The quest to uncover the baffling mysteries of autism continues to move forward. According to TIME magazine in an article posted Sunday, May 7th, Inside the Autistic Mind, here is what we know about autism: As is … Continue reading →

Perseveration… Perseveration… Perseveration…

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Many children with severe disabilities, particularly those on the autism spectrum, perseverate. Perseverating means they do certain actions over and over again, like repeating a phrase, shutting a door, twiddling fingers, lining up toys, rubbing hands together, spinning objects, etc. It is almost as if these children are locked into an endless cycle of meaningless, odd behaviors. Why do children perseverate? There are a couple of reasons. First, they might find life to be so chaotic and confusing that they crave some sort of control. The repeated door slamming, for example, gives the child a sense of predictability, order, and … Continue reading →

Flapping, Spinning, Waving, Whirling: The Child With Irregular Motor Behavior

Sometimes children with special needs will display peculiar behaviors with their body parts. They might flap their hands, wave their arms, spin in circles, or bounce. They might fiddle with a string constantly, or jump up and down repetitively. Interestingly enough, this is not necessarily caused by autism, brain damage, or mental retardation. These are motor processing problems where the child has only limited control of what his body is doing. They might be symptoms of a larger disorder, like autism, but they can also appear in children who are neuro-typical. What causes these irregular body movements? In The Child … Continue reading →