Aggression, frustration and temper tantrums

Why does this happen?

• Not all students with autism have behavioural problems. Those that do are often reacting to a world that they find confusing and unpredictable.
• The student may have a very low tolerance of frustration.
• He may not understand that other people are able to help him with a problem. He may struggle with a difficult task until he reaches the very limit of his tolerance level, never seeking help.
• The student may find the social environment of school confusing and unpredictable, leading to tension and stress.
• Aggression can be triggered by hypersensitivity to certain sensory stimuli. This might be something that adults do not even notice, such as a flickering light or the sound of the school bell.
• Aggression may be used by the student to avoid something he doesn’t want to do.
• Aggression might be used to gain attention, especially if the behaviour causes a great deal of fuss and excitement.
• Frustration can result from the lack of an appropriate skill. For example, the student may hit out at others when they touch or hug him; he doesn’t realise he should say “Let go.”
• The student may have difficulty anticipating future events. He may be fearful that if his needs are not met immediately, he won’t ever get what he wants. This may cause him to lash out or have a tantrum.
• Short, intense outbursts of rage or aggression may be associated with epileptic seizures. Epilepsy is very common in children with autism. Onset of seizures can occur at any age.
• Angry outbursts may occur if the student is being bullied or teased. Children with autism lack appropriate coping mechanisms to deal with peer pressure, especially if they do not have close friends.
• A sudden increase in irritability or a lack of co-operation may be due to pain. Some people with ASD have a very high pain threshold and do not show that they are hurting in the usual way.

What you can do

• Remain calm, remind yourself the behaviour is an attempt to communicate – don't immediately assume that it is misbehaviour. Children with high functioning autism are rarely scheming or manipulative. They are not trying to make your life difficult!
• A review of the student’s stress level should always be undertaken when behavioural difficulties occur.
• Reinforce your expectations for behaviour. Give the student clear, predictable routines. State clearly to the student the consequences of aggressive behaviour before it occurs. For example, “If you hit or kick anyone again today you will sit here for 5 minutes.”
• Note which activities the student finds difficult and simplify or modify them. On the other hand, the disruptive behaviour may be due to boredom if the child finds a task too easy.
• Establish appropriate behaviours and teach them to the child. For example, teach appropriate social behaviour such as tapping someone on the shoulder rather than hitting. Include interactional behaviour such as sharing and waiting. Check that the child knows the necessary words to use. For example, if the child dislikes being touched and children always hug him and won't let go, teach him to say, "Let go."
• Make a list of rules for acceptable classroom behaviour and stick it into the student’s diary.
• Help the student to recognise and interpret feelings of unease and act on them before an ‘explosion’ occurs. Use an ‘emotional thermometer’ and have the student visually identify where he is on the scale. Talk about different scenarios. For example, if the student lost his pencil, he might put himself at 2/10 on the scale, if something really bad happened, it would rate a 10/10. This can increase the student’s emotional understanding; ie. there is no need for a huge emotional reaction to a minor incident.
• Disruptive behaviour is likely to be reduced as social and communication skills improve.
• Reward and pay attention to the child when displaying appropriate behaviour. See Effective rewards and motivators.
• Remember that the student may have outbursts of aggression just like a much younger child due to delayed emotional development. It can be hard for teachers to accept this type of behaviour, particularly if the student is talented in others areas of learning.
• Removing the student from the environment (ie. time out) may work as a last resort. See Behaviour modification – what works, what doesn’t?
• Talk to the student’s parents. If this behaviour is out of character, he may need a medical checkup to rule possible causes such as epileptic seizures.
• Aggression towards others. Immediately after the incident remain calm and direct the child to a quiet space. If it is a minor incident, pay attention to the other child who is hurt and totally ignore the child who hit.
• Deal with the behaviour at a later date. It is important that both you and the child be calm when talking about the behaviour as there is more chance the child will process the information. When stressed or angry, the child's ability to understand language decreases.
• Often children on the spectrum find it difficult to talk about situations when they are 'personalised' and find it easier when the discussion is 'de-personalised'. This means you talk about the situation in the third person. This can be done through the use of toys, drawings or role-play.
• Tantrums or 'meltdowns'. Remain calm and look at the tantrum as an act of communication. Try to establish why the behaviour is occurring. Try not to give any verbal or visual messages until the tantrum has stopped and then give full attention to the child. Praise the good behaviour. Use time out - see Behaviour Modification - what works, what doesn't?
• Resistant or oppositional behaviours - gaining compliance. First ask yourself if the child could be behaving this way out of anxiety, fear of failure, lack of comprehension, lack of interest or attention seeking. Treat the behaviour according to the cause.
• The child may try to distract you from the request by arguing. Try not to become involved in the argument. It wastes time and the child can become more confused due to the increase in language.
• Check your requests. Are they statements and not questions? Don't give too many at once. Is the child too busy? Have you failed to gain his attention? See also Communication - Not responding to instructions
• In some cases the behaviour is due to a lack of understanding - the behaviour is produced to mask the inability to complete the task. Repeat the request in a simplified form and then ask the child what he has to do to check his understanding of the task.
• Refusals. If the child constantly refuses to perform a particular task give him the opportunity to do it for a very short period then heavily praise him. Over time, gradually increase the period he engages in the task and decrease the amount of reinforcement.
• Follow through. If you have set up a particular consequence such as time out, then you need to make sure you (and other staff) apply the consequence each time the behaviour is displayed. This can be tiring and time consuming so make sure you are prepared. If you have asked him to do something then you need to see that he follows it through and does it, even if you have to physically do it with the child.
• Keep your sense of humour. This can be really difficult but it's important to keep your sense of humour and use it in appropriate situations. Not only will this help you see the funny side of situations, it will prevent you from becoming too stressed. Acting the fool can often be really effective as you are doing the exact opposite of what the child expects.

Behaviour modification – what works, what doesn’t?

Points to note

• It is far better to put strategies in place to prevent or minimise inappropriate behaviour than to react to that behaviour after it has occurred.
• All behaviour has a purpose or function that produces a result. For a child with autism, the desired result may be to reduce stress.
• Students with autism need a support plan to address behavioural issues. Generally, as inappropriate behaviour increases, so too does punishment. Punishment teaches children that they have done something wrong. However, it doesn’t teach what is appropriate or acceptable. This is especially important for children with autism.
• Students with autism should not be punished for inappropriate behaviour arising from their disorder, such as being inattentive, unorganised or misinterpreting verbal instructions.
• Time out may be ineffective for some students with autism. In timeout, the ‘punishment’ is a break from a task that the child wanted to avoid in the first place. He is allowed to sit in the peace and quiet of the corridor. This can be a great relief if the classroom noise causes him stress and anxiety.
• Short term strategies may keep the behaviour under control but long term strategies are required to avoid an increase in problems over time.
• When trying to decrease behaviours they will tend to get worse before they get better. In fact it is a good sign that the method is working if you notice increases in frequency and intensity for a short time.
• Remember to stay positive and look for small steps in the increase or decrease of the behaviour.

What you can do

• Complete a Behavioural Profile Checklist, Student Summary Form and The ABC of Inappropriate Behaviour. These forms can be found on the Printable Files and Middle Years Introduction page. Use these forms to identify challenging behaviours requiring immediate action and develop a support plan to manage them. Involve as many people as possible in the information-gathering process - parents, support staff etc.
• Questions to ask during information-gathering:-
  - Which behaviours are most difficult or disruptive?
  - What is happening immediately before and after the behaviour occurs?
  - Who is present?
  - When does it occur? (ie. only in the morning)
  - Where does the behaviour occur? (ie. only in certain classrooms)
  - What do you believe is being communicated by the behaviour?
  - What skills does the student lack that may contribute to the inappropriate behaviour?
  - Describe the consequences that have been tried to stop the behaviour?
  - Which consequences have failed? Which, if any, have worked?
  - What motivates the student? Think of his interests and obsessions.
  - What might be an effective reward system for good behaviour?
  - What strategies could be implemented to prevent this behaviour?
  - What consequences will be used when the behaviour occurs in future?
• Maintain a consistent approach to inappropriate behaviour. Good communication between parents, teachers and support staff is essential in ensuring a consistent approach. Use a communication book.
• Remember lecturing won't alter the behaviour. Try not to use threats.
• Only tackle behavioural issues that affect the student’s ability to learn, if it interferes with other students, or if it is a safety issue. Obsessive or odd behaviour may keep the child calm and does not necessarily inhibit learning. For example, the student may hum softly to himself or flick his fingers in front of eyes to keep himself calm. If you tell him to stop he is likely to become even more anxious and upset as he tries to control the compulsive behaviour and cope with his stress at the same time.
• Introduce any changes gradually to minimise disruptive behaviour and use visual cues wherever possible. See Visual schedules.
• Identify the consequences of behaviours. A negative consequence would be punishment, a positive consequence is something the child looks forward to happening. Positive consequences are far more powerful to either increase or decrease a behaviour. Sometimes the consequence you are giving the child may actually be reinforcing the behaviour, such as the timeout example above. Another example might be telling the student ‘Well done!’ in a shrill voice or clapping loudly. If the student is sensitive to noise this becomes more a punishment than a positive reinforcement.
• Most students with autism have an obsession or preferred area of interest. This interest can help teachers to identify appropriate rewards or motivators. See also Effective rewards and motivators.
• Time out. Time out is a consequence where the child is transferred to a less reinforcing (more boring) situation for a period of time immediately following an inappropriate behaviour. As time passes more slowly for children, this is an effective way to deal with problem behaviours, especially if the behaviour involves non-compliance, hitting or antagonising others physically or verbally.
• Time out is often done incorrectly, making it unsuccessful in changing behaviour. In addition, it takes a period of time for the child to understand the process of time out and during this time their behaviours often increase and the amount of time used in taking them back to time out is considerable.
• Wherever possible, the situation or area the child is sent to should be devoid of any interesting or distracting objects. It should never be a dark room or small space, which will scare the child. It might be an empty hallway or quiet room. It can be a timeout chair rather than a room.
• What to do. Immediately following a behaviour say to the child in simple language that he is going to time out and the reason why. "Time out - no hitting." Remain calm. Take him to the time out area. Do not engage in any other conservation. Ignore him during the time out.
• There are two methods to determine how long the child stays in time out - when he is calm or a set time limit. If you are waiting for the child to calm down and he is upset and likely to continue to be for some time, wait until he takes a breath and then say, "Time out is finished." With a timed response you may decide on 5 minutes and simply return the child to the classroom after that period.
• During time out . If the child leaves the room/chair escort him back as many times as necessary until he has calmed down or the time limit has been reached. You can leave a buzzer to tell the child when time out finishes.
• After time out . If you put the child in time out because he refused to comply with a request, get him to do the required task after time out and if he does not comply put him back in time out. Once the behaviour ceases it is important to act as normally as possible with the child and not to reprimand him again.
• The child should always have a clear understanding of the kind of behaviour that will result in timeout. He should be able to explain, write or draw the reason for being given timeout.
• Always check whether you think the time out could be reinforcing the behaviour and use it sparingly!
• Use planned ignoring or extinction. This method can be particularly useful for inappropriate behaviour that is being reinforced by attention from another person, however its use is limited. It can only be used when you have been able to identify what is rewarding to the child and when you are able to modify this impact. For example, if you ignore the child but other children give him attention this method may not work.
• Planned ignoring / extinction involves not attending to the child's behaviour in any manner including avoiding eye contact, continuing with your present activity and giving no verbal contact.
• As with any behaviour change the child's behaviour will increase before it decreases and as such any tantrums will increase. You have to continue to ignore the child and this can be very trying. If the child puts himself in danger of being hurt then without talking remove him from the situation and continue to ignore him.
• Don't give in at the wrong time! This can make the original problem worse.
• It is essential that this method be paired with a reward system so that the child can learn the difference between being ignored and when you give him attention for a desirable behaviour. However make sure that NO reinforcement follows the behaviour you are trying to weaken.
• Redirection and replacement. Replacement is prompting the child to act appropriately BEFORE he starts to display an inappropriate behaviour. Therefore you are trying to prevent undesirable behaviours before they occur. If you see the child becoming 'wound up' you can intervene first and direct him into another appropriate activity. This means being in the right place at the right time, perceiving the child's signals and pre-empting the situation. Redirection is a method used AFTER you see an inappropriate behaviour and you then prompt an appropriate one.
• Incompatible behaviours. This is similar to redirection in that you use it AFTER an inappropriate behaviour is displayed. However instead of moulding the behaviour to a more appropriate one you introduce an activity that is incompatible with the problem behaviour. This is also encouraged by constructive instructions. Tell the child the behaviour you WANT him to perform rather than the behaviour you want him to stop. Instead of 'stop tapping your ruler' say 'hands down'.
• Setting up the environment . The environment can play a large part in the behaviour the child displays. It is also often easier to change the environment than trying to change a behaviour that the child is displaying. Therefore it can be useful to 'set up' the environment to manage behaviours.
• Giving the child warnings of change, ie. when an activity will have to finish is also an important part of managing the environment. Therefore if you require the child to co-operate in carrying out some action, such as packing up, this can be managed more smoothly if he is warned in advance.
• Offer choices - give the child control. Many inappropriate behaviours occur due to requests or expectations that are too difficult for the child to accomplish. Constant commands and directions can also be frustrating for the child. It is important to give him choices so that he does not feel that he is constantly being 'bossed' around. Keep the choices limited to two and use visual cues as some children may only state the last or first thing they are offered rather than what they really want.
• In summary, an analysis of the negative behaviour needs to be undertaken, specifically looking at the communicative intent of the behaviour. When this intent has been identified, teachers and support staff can work on the skills the student needs to acquire to prevent this behaviour from re-occurring and put reward systems in place that will motivate the child to behave in an appropriate manner.

Creating a home base

Points to note

• Students with autism benefit from having a home base room for a number of reasons:
• Students with autism may become stressed and disturbed in a classroom environment due to the amount of noise, movement and/or visual stimuli. If the student needs a break from the classroom, or his teacher requests him to leave due to disruptive behaviour, he needs a safe, calming environment to go to.
• Students with autism are vulnerable to being bullied and teased due to their unusual behaviour and lack of assertiveness. They are an easy target because they stand out.
• If the student has no friends, he may have no-one to talk to about his troubles or anxieties. A student with autism may not know whom to turn to when he needs help or is feeling anxious.
• The social environment at school is demanding and stressful for students with autism.
• The student may feel threatened by the close proximity of others. He may feel stressed in a large group. This is a sensory issue due to tactile defensiveness.
• When a student with autism is stressed, his ability to communicate may be significantly reduced; he may have trouble finding the words to say he needs some time away from the classroom.

What you can do

• A little forethought at the beginning of the year can have enormous benefits and will increase the student’s ability to cope throughout the year.
• Where space permits, allocate a resource room as a home base for all students with autism and/or learning disorders, eg. a small classroom with couches, work space, computer access. This can be a place where integration aides or speech pathologists can work with students on a 1:1 basis, and a place for the student to go if he is exited from his class. This room can be a retreat for students before school and during breaks.
• If it is not possible to set aside a home base…
• Set up a comfortable corner in the classroom where the child can listen to his favorite music or story through headphones. Incorporate a period of computer time into each lesson – children with autism find learning from computers to be less stressful than group learning.
• Teach the student how to signal or verbally communicate his distress. For example, an agreed signal that means ‘I need a break’ or a laminated pass card that can be handed to the teacher when the student is feeling overloaded and needs to leave the classroom.
• If possible, arrange access to the library or computer room at recess and lunchtime. This can be a safe place for the child if he is being bullied or teased, or feeling anxious.
• Consider also the physical setup of the classroom and sit the child in a place that will maximise his ability to learn. See Physical setup of the classroom.
• If the student needs a break from school due to stress or he is not coping…
• Send work home via email. If the student is interested in computers, he might be able to set up a web cam link to the classroom.
• The break should not be treated as a punishment.

Fear of failure

Points to note

• Many students with autism are very particular about certain aspects of their work. They may insist on getting things right; they will start an activity, make a mistake, then start over again. In this case, they may never see a task through to completion.
• Some students become frustrated by their mistakes; crossing them out, or over-enthusiastically rubbing their mistakes out until they make a hole in their paper. This causes even greater distress!
• Some students are acutely aware of their inadequacies. For example, they may have very poor handwriting and are so embarrassed they will refuse to hand in work.
• He may be very reluctant to do any unfamiliar activity. This may be because he is unable to imagine how to do something unfamiliar and he cannot envisage the sense of achievement that comes with accomplishing something new.

What you can do

• Don’t comment on failure, just show the student the correct way.
• Avoid negative comments, like saying ‘no’ or ‘that’s not right’.
• Show the student that you make mistakes too, and show him how you deal with them, ie. if you make a spelling mistake, you simply put a line through the word.
• The child needs to learn that it is OK to make mistakes. If he makes a mistake, direct the consequences away from him by telling him that it is a really hard task but you are pleased that he is making an attempt at it. Turn it into a learning experience - "Now that you've made that mistake I know that I need to teach you..."
• Build success into activities by ensuring tasks are not too difficult.
• Computer use alleviates a lot of stress and has the advantage of being self-correcting with features like a spell-checker. Encourage computer use as much as possible.
• Students with autism might receive a lot of negative comments about their behaviour, so counter this with praise at every opportunity. Children with autism need a lot of encouragement. See also Self esteem and depression.

Lack of self control

Why does this happen?

• A student with poor verbal skills may ‘lash out’ or destroy things as a means of communication. The behaviour may be his way of saying, “I’m bored” or “It’s too noisy in here.” The student may lose self control when he is stressed.
• A child with autism may appear to lack empathy and experience difficulty understanding the consequences of his actions. He may also have little understanding of his own mental states and that of others – so he doesn’t understand how his actions can affect others.
• Students with autism tend to have a low tolerance of frustration. The child may struggle with an activity beyond his point of frustration. He may not readily seek adult help.
• The student may not understand or recognise social conventions. He may have poor emotional development, despite being quite talented in other areas. He may not be able to adjust his own behaviour in a way that is appropriate in a certain social context. He may not understand how his own behaviour looks from someone else’s perspective. He may be quite unconcerned by what other’s think of his outbursts. Adults may find it hard to understand these outbursts as this type of behaviour would normally be seen in a much younger child. Emotional development is delayed in children with autism.
• A student with autism might laugh or cry inappropriately when he is highly aroused or anxious.
• Students with autism are particularly vulnerable to being teased or bullied as they lack assertiveness skills. This can result in a sudden, angry release of tension. This may occur some time after the incident.

What you can do

• Try to identify the trigger for the behaviour. If the behaviour is in response to stress there may need to be some adjustments to the student’s environment.
• The student can be taught a standard phrase or signal, such as raising his hand to cue his teacher when he’s overwrought or needs help. An older child might prefer to use a subtle, non-verbal cue if he feels uncomfortable drawing attention to himself. Another alternative is a laminated pass card that the child can give to his teacher when he is feeling overloaded. This system may work well for some students but to prevent abuse of this system you may need to impose a limit on the number of times it can be used each day. Help the student to develop coping mechanisms for other times.
• Consider having a quiet area in or just outside the classroom. This can be a safe, secure area for the student when he needs ‘down time’ from social pressures and classroom noise.
• If the student spends recess and lunch breaks in the library, computer or resource room he may do very little physical activity throughout the day. A solo run around the oval after lunch break or recess may help release tension. Outbursts of aggressive behaviour may be reduced by vigorous physical activity.
• Try traditional approaches like instructing the student to take a deep breath and count to ten.
• If destructive behaviour is occurring, you can try to change the behaviour by managing the environment. This involves pre-empting the behaviour and planning ahead.
• Students with autism need help to develop self-awareness of their mental and physical states, that is, to recognise feelings of stress or discomfort. Help the child understand and interpret emotions and encourage him to share his feelings and communicate this to his teacher or aide.
• Breaking down tasks into more manageable parts can prevent some problem behaviours.
• Respond calmly. If the student discovers that his behaviour causes a great deal of excitement and fuss it may become a hard habit to break.
• Try to find out whether the outburst is a result of teasing or bullying. The student may need supervision or strategies to help him cope with breaks. See also Coping with recess and lunch breaks.

Self esteem and depression

Why does this happen?

• Students with autism are particularly vulnerable to teasing and bullying because their unusual behaviour and poor social skills make them stand out. Bullies may see them as a soft target. This can lead to poor self esteem.
• The student may find it hard to make and keep friends because he has poor social interaction and communication skills. Attempts to form friendships can lead to ridicule and failure.
• Others may ridicule children with autism because they are not skilled in team sports and ball games. Students with autism may not enjoy the activities favoured by their normally developing peers.
• Students with autism have reduced coping skills – they have trouble managing stress and anxiety. They can sometimes feel like they are out of control.
• While younger children with autism are less likely to be aware of their differences, older children may develop an awareness that they are different from their peers. Depression in adolescence is high. It is important for the child to develop positive self esteem from an early age.

What you can do

• Foster the student’s interests and obsessions. Creatively work the student’s interest into lesson plans. Allow him to share his expertise with the rest of the class. This will encourage and motivate him in his learning.
• Many students with high functioning autism have reading or other skills far beyond their developmental age. They can help to ‘tutor’ other students.
• Encourage students who have an interest in computers as they suit the learning style of children with autism. A student with autism might become the class ‘computer expert’. Computers are not only a great learning tool; they are an excellent career choice for those with autism.
• Reward even minor improvements in behaviour.
• Students with autism are visual learners. Build on this strength. Reward good work or behaviour with a note of appreciation with accompanying pictures. This can be extremely rewarding for a child who is constantly being reprimanded for inappropriate behaviour.
• Encourage the student to keep a scrap book of his best work. This can be reviewed whenever he is feeling down.
• Help the student to monitor his moods – help him identify good feelings. You might say, “You feel proud that you did that!” and “That’s a big smile - I can tell that you are happy.”
• It is essential that the school policy on bullying and harassment is enforced to ensure that children with autism are not discriminated against. These students must have access to a safe environment free from harassment.
• Watch for signs that the student is experiencing serious difficulties and alert his parents if you feel he needs medical attention. Depression may not present in the ‘classic’ way. Signs may be a reduction in personal hygiene, risk taking or bizarre behaviour (climbing on roofs, playing ‘chicken’) or tiredness and irritability due to poor sleep. Medical assistance should be sought without delay. Anti-depressants can make a huge difference to behaviour.

Stress and anxiety

Why does this happen?

• A child with autism may experience fear based on a connection made from a single frightening experience. A situation that has previously caused anxiety can trigger a fearful reaction, even an extreme over-reaction.
• Children with autism can be overly sensitive to certain sensory stimuli, such as sudden noises like applause.
• Children with autism can experience stress from the everyday challenges of coping with change and sensory input. Walking out of class can be a sign that the student is suffering from unbearable stress.
• Children with autism lack a strong coping mechanism to deal with stress. This is because they have difficulty identifying their own emotions.
• Children with autism respond to stress in the same way as anybody else; they find it very unpleasant and try to reduce or avoid it as it adversely affects their ability to learn and function
• When the child is stressed he is more likely to fail, this in turn leads to further stress.
• While we all experience stress it is a greater problem for people with autism because they experience severe stress far more frequently than most people do and they are less able to deal with it effectively.
• Children on the spectrum can be divided into two categories as to why they find it more difficult to cope with their stress. 1) They have a lack of recognition of their own stress in its early stages. 2) They lack the knowledge of what to do about their stress if and when they recognise it.
• Their lack of recognition stems from their general poor self-awareness. Children on the spectrum often have a less developed concept of their bodies and as such  they find it difficult to know where parts of their body are in space without looking at them. They also find it difficult to copy another's movements.
• They also find it difficult to attend to, label and interpret the signals of their body and often do not recognise particular messages as feelings indicating their mental states (anger, fear) or sensations indicating the physical states of their body (headache, thirst).
• Feelings of stress may be so overwhelming that the student has to be physically removed from the situation. Difficult behaviours are often an attempt to reduce stress levels. These responses may be effective but inappropriate; running away, obsessive or self-stimulatory behaviour, withdrawal etc.
• Students with autism often don’t have close friends that they can talk to and confide in about their fears.
• The student may have learnt ways of dealing with stress that are inappropriate but work for him, therefore he sees no reason for change. You will need to be supportive, reassuring and emphasise the use of relaxation techniques.
• A small number of students with autism may develop anxiety disorders, eg. panic attacks or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This can be a sign that the student is having major difficulties with the social demands of school or experiencing sensory problems.
• In summary, children with autism experience the same feelings of stress and anxiety as everyone else does, but they have difficulty locating them, are unaware of them or do not understand what they mean.

What can you do

• If the child has a particular fear, choose a time when he is calm, perhaps in an activity that he enjoys. Progressively expose him to the source of the problem. Visualisation techniques can also be helpful, eg. help the student overcome a fear of spiders by visualising a dead spider in a far corner.
• When experiencing stress, the student’s ability in most areas will be affected:
  - his understanding of language decreases,
  - his ability to adequately express himself decreases.
  - his awareness of others and the cues they give is reduced,
  - he is not able to concentrate as well,
  - he will have difficulty focusing on relevant information,
  - his sensory systems will be over-stimulated, so he won't cope as well with noise, visual stimuli and other sensations,
  - his ability to control inappropriate / anxiety-reducing behaviour decreases, and
  - it becomes harder for him to use constructive problem solving.
• Teaching recognition of stress. Learning to pay attention to and correctly interpret the messages of the body is vital. Help and encourage the child to label feelings and physical sensations. Use role play, find pictures, use music or scenes from TV programs to talk about why / what happened to produce different sensations and emotions in other people. Once he is able to label some feelings, help him identify situations when he might feel these emotions himsef. This allows the student to start matching feelings and sensations to situations. Hopefully he will learn to identify situations that he finds difficult and then start to think about and be prepared to use coping strategies.
• Provide examples of a situation with accompanying physical sensations or emotion. Eg. "When I hear someone yelling, I feel funny in my stomach, this is worried." Or "Your face is red, you are forwning, your body is still - you're angry."
• Talk to the student’s parents to find out if an occupational therapist has conducted an assessment and sensory profile. The information gained from this can be extremely helpful both at school and at home. It gives direction to the modifications that are necessary to reduce stress.
• It is important to develop awareness of the signs that the student is stressed. He may not reveal his stress the way that other children do. The cues may be very subtle. Look for triggers such as body posture, change in tone of voice, more or less talkative, resisting eye contact, becoming teary or restless. Or the stress may trigger challenging or repetitive behaviour. You can then prompt him by saying “You look worried, do you need help?” Talk through the feelings – “Do your shoulders feel tight? Do you have a funny feeling in your stomach? Is your face feeling hot?”
• Once the student is able to label some feelings, help him to identify situations when he might feel one of those emotions. Hopefully he will then learn to identify situations that he finds difficult and then start to think about and be prepared to use coping strategies.
• Note signs of stress on the Student Summary Form. This will help other staff and relieving teachers understand the child.
• Some students will appear quiet and compliant in class, but become aggressive the minute they get home. This indicates a high level of stress at school but is often misinterpreted as coping at school and poor behaviour at home. It is in fact a release of tension in a safe place. It is important to have open and regular lines of communication between parents and teachers to fully understand how the student is coping.
• Physical exercise (running, bike riding, jumping on a trampoline) is a good way of letting go of accumulated stress. Stress balls or a ‘mad bag’ that students can take their frustration out on, may also be useful.
• Allow for a short de-briefing session with a counsellor, teacher or an understanding peer to talk through the day’s events or after a stressful incident. Use this time to explain in more detail why certain things happened and rehearse what to do next time it occurs.
• Allowances may need to be made regarding homework. The school day can leave the student so stressed that he need the evenings to unwind and relax. You might want to set aside some school time for the student to do his homework or reduce the tasks he is required to do at home. See also Homework.
• Children with autism may need a clear distinction between home and school; ie. that ‘school is for learning, home is for relaxing’. Imposing homework on a child under great stress can be more than they can bear.
  

Managing unusual behaviour

Why does this happen?

• Many inappropriate and difficult behaviours can be linked to high levels of anxiety, such as humming to mask out disturbing sounds, finger flicking or tapping a pencil to stay calm when feeling anxious. This behaviour is often the child’s way of controlling an unpredictable world, hence reducing anxiety.
• Repetitive and self-stimulatory behaviour may be a kind of hobby for the student – he may enjoy the sensation. It may also help to keep him feeling safe and calm. Sensory thresholds vary in children with autism; those with high thresholds will seek out stimulation.
• Time out may not be an effective means of controlling behaviour in children with autism. See Behaviour Modification for more information.
• Self-injurious behaviour may be seen when the student is experiencing extreme anxiety or frustration.
• Self-injury may be an attempt to mask the physical pain of a medical condition.
• Self-injury has been associated with epileptic seizures.
• Inappropriate behaviour, such as public masturbation or touching peers in a sexual way stems from the child’s poor social awareness. The child can have great difficulty understanding why this behaviour is unacceptable.
• The onset of unusual and dangerous risk-taking behaviour may be a sign of depression or an anxiety disorder.

What you can do

• Choose your battle. Work on the behaviour that is most unacceptable. The child may have other behaviours that are odd, but don't concern yourself too much with those that do not impact negatively on the child's learning or social functioning.
• Attempts to stop repetitive or self-stimulatory behaviour are unlikely to succeed. The behaviour serves a purpose (ie. to reduce anxiety) so it is important to replace it with something more acceptable. Telling an anxious student to stop humming or tapping his foot is likely to cause him greater anxiety as he will have to try to control his compulsive behaviour as well as cope with his anxiety. Be alert to the physical signs that the child is becoming anxious and note these on the Student Summary Form.
• Identify any sources of anxiety. Note when and where the behaviour occurs. If possible, make changes to the environment to reduce stress on the child.
• Help the student to develop greater self-awareness by interpreting emotions and encouraging him to communicate feelings of distress.
• Lecturing will not alter the behaviour. Avoid using threats.
• Reward and pay attention to the student when he is working well and displaying good behaviour.
• Repetitive behaviour can be modified by allowing the student to perform this behaviour only at certain times or in a particular place. Another alternative is to restrict behaviour such as hand flapping to small ‘flaps’ inside the child’s pocket or shirt. Allow the student to carry a favourite object in his pocket that he can touch frequently for reassurance - this might be something related to his obsession.
• Give the student an alternate behaviour so that he knows what behaviour you are asking for. Instead of saying “Stop tapping your ruler” you might say “Keep your hands still.” Some students with autism just don’t know what they should do when told to stop an inappropriate behaviour.
• When trying to decrease an inappropriate behaviour things may get worse before they get better. If the behaviour does increase in frequency or intensity for a short period this is often a good sign that the method is working. Stay positive and look for small improvements.
• Where there is inappropriate touching, it can be helpful to discuss the child’s difficulties with others in the class. Always ask permission from the parents and child first. Disclosure is a sensitive issue and requires a planning and discussion at a PSG meeting. When disclosure is handled sensitively, other students in the class can work as a team to help the child with autism develop greater understanding of social rules and appropriate behaviour.
• Talk to the student’s parents regarding a psychological assessment if you suspect the child has mental health issues.