i’d like to hear people’s thoughts so i work with a wonderful boy around the age of 8-10. he has so much potential & is briliant in so many ways. he was diagnosed with autism. he is capable of so much whether conversation, completeing tasks, etc. thing is he has severe rage, aggression issues. i'm not sure what it stems from. he's in aba but half the time the therapist don't even know what to do because his behavior gets in the way of the session. he has really bad ocd. i feel like half the time he does things but can't control that he does them. the rage is getting worse. i mean in a four hr session with him he'd come after me to pinch bite throw spit etc. even when he gets what he wants or doesn't. if something doesn't work out while he's playing with it he throws a tantrum which results in what ever he's playing with thrown, ripped, or broken. i feel so bad for him. deep compression or distracting doesn't work. i mean it'll work for 5 mins then the rage comes back like out of now where & for no apparent reason. he's been on a strict aba schedule, token board. i feel like the family has tried everything. he's really genuinely a beautiful boy. i love him to death & his family as my very own. i can't imagine feeling frustrated or controlled by your own mind. i just wish i had answers. like most people. but if you have any thoughts feel free. thanks.  Can you implement a sensory diet into the session?  My son had severe aggression during his Speech sessions for a while.  The ST called in a Psych to evaluate (a program offered by the hospital) and the Psych developed a Behaviorial Improvement Plan specifically for the sessions.  One of the things was to have sensory integration put into the session, and to not force him to sit.  He was aloud to stand or sit on a bouncing chair until he was more comfortable.  Another thing was to allow him to warm up before the session actually started.  Make it on HIS terms.    i should probably add that its not only during aba he acts like this...its through out the day whether he's required to do tasks or it's a Saturday ya know? sensory diet was discussed & i think they're definitely going to give it a try. thank you by the way. no, i've never even heard of that. i'll have to look into it & mention it. we make a joke about it that because of it we have cat like reflexes & a high tolerance for pain. just worries me because even though such a loving boy 50lbs heavier we're gonna have some serious problems. thank you for your input.  Has anyone mentioned ODD (oppositional defiance disorder)? What you describe sounds a bit extreme, and I really don't know much about ODD, aside from what my daughter's friends have gone through. Otherwise, I think of a mood disorder. This has to be so hard for that family, as well as for you to sit by and not be able to "take it away." Hope a resolution comes soon. You're welcome. It might not quite be it, but it's worth a shot. Keep us posted. It sounds like this boy's stress levels are through the roof. A four hour ABA session sounds excessive to me. It could also be that ABA is not for him. It doesn't work for every child, especially if there are other areas that are not being addressed. There are other approaches that might be better, including Floortime, RDI, and possibly even Sonrise. They are not mutually exclusive either. There are many families that combine these treatments. Hope things get better soon. Our pediatrician told us that currently the only treatments that have been tested and approved as treatments for aggression in autistics are ABA and risperidone.  There are other treatments that might work, but right now there are only two that the AMA considers to be "proven".  http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-For-Coping-With-Aggression-In -Your-Autistic-Child&id=1197875
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