The only way we can get Luke to stop his running/singing/dancing
episodes is to physically interact with him when he does it ... like
make a chasing game out of it or interest him in something else he
likes doing or tickling him/wrestling with him. He seems to do it
most when he's bored or nervous. Good luck!
Kellie
My 5 year old son has high functioning autism and one of his behaviors is to run and jargon and flap his hands. As he gets older, it is getting louder. We ask him to stop and he comes out of it right away but tells us he "has to dance" - any advice on how we can get him to stop or at what age he will outgrow it?
Thanks
mikki
My 16 year old son dances despite our exhaustive attempts to stop him. As he dances he replays movies in his imagination complete with dialoge and sound effects--all outloud. It is annoying and odd to see a young man act this way. When we find him dancing we redirect his behavior to one of his tasks that are written down for him and displayed on the fridge. They include drawing, practicing the piano, reading, basketball, earning Boy Scout merit bacges, etc. We have made his time practicing the piano a completely safe activity meaning that any time he is practicing he won't get in trouble. He slips into dancing anytime he is not in a structured or somewhat supervised activity. He says he knows he looks strange to others when he dances (but that is not motivating enough for him to stop). I had no idea that we'd still be addressing this behavior when my boy was this old. Wishing you the best of luck.
Mary