Here is the situation... Andrew is 3 1/2 and there is no comunication what so ever. Well in the past 6 months, if there is anything on a table, shelf, counter, ect... he throws it on the floor!!!! We have switchecd to mostly plastic dishes, taught our 2 other daughters, to put there things in the middle of the table... but my question is... Has anyone else had to deal with this out of there autistic child? If so PLEASE respond to me and tell me if there is anything to try to stop this behavior!!! We can't really punish him, he doesn't care about much...
Thankyou in advance
Andrews mom
I have to agree with NorwayMom,sounds like a sensory issue to me ,my son had a need to push things across the floor,anything he could find,he liked the feeling of scraping across floor,so giving him something with wheels did not meet his needs,he would tip a chair over if he couldn't find anything else. If he has an OT,they should be able to give you some help.
In the mean time do some throwing games and dropping games with him,get some bean bags,sew some buttons on to make noise when he throws them ,have him drop hard objects ,eg.. small toys or old cd's onto a cookie sheet,or a mixing bowl.
My OT says, if its sensory seeking behavior you need to find a way to feed the need!!.
Hope this helped, God bless,Linda
Is he throwing in frustration/anger, or is he throwing because he seems to like it?
I haven't dealt with this particular problem, but I'm willing to bet that there's a sensory component in it for your child. He might be seeking auditory stimulation (the sound of the stuff hitting the floor), or he might enjoy the physical movement.
At that age, I myself didn't realize that my son had sensory issues which were affecting his everyday behavior. It was only after we got the autism diagnosis at age 7 that we knew what to look for and could identify his sensory issues.
To help you identify your son's sensory issues, try this online checklist:
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processin g-disorder-checklist.html
The throwing might be what's called a "stim" (self-stimulating behavior), so here's an article that will give you a little background about those and how you can deal with them:
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/archive/mannerism.html #Chart
I hope others have some good advice for you based on direct experience.
Good luck with everything.
Behavior is communication. Andrew is getting something OUT of throwing things down on the floor. It could be sensory input -- he likes the bang. It could be attention -- everyone is surprised and pays attention. It's critical for you to get trained in doing ABC observations with your own child in order to discover why he does things. ABC observations are simply noting the Antecedent (what immediately precedes the behavior), the Behavior (what Andrew does) and the Consequence (how everyone reacts). Once you have a few of these observations written down, you can step back and analyse what's happening and fashion your own reaction based on what you believe Andrew is trying to accomplish with his. For example, if he's trying to get sound input, give him something APPROPRIATE to bang. If he's trying to get attention, lavish him with attention for GOOD behavior.
I hope Andrew is in a good program that is addressing his needs with at least some ABA and using PECs to teach you and him to communicate with one another. At his age, addressing his communication issues is key.
Thank all of you!!!
Ya know, it's crazy that you know things like playing games, and being creative with them can cure most things as far as sensory... However, when you have just had enough, you forget to be that patient mommy that you were "once apon a time". His sensory stuff is out of this world, Never have a door open in the house or outside,Never rearange a peice of furniture, Never leave the lights on in the hallway, Never leave a closet light on, ... well at least he helps out with the electric bill, which is more than I can say for the other two kids.
I will totaly try the bean bag thing, having things that he CAN throw on the ground might help! Thank you for that. Andrew also tips chairs over all the time, mabye he dose like the feeling of it on his feet or something. School says that "Autistic kids like to watch things fall" I am not sure about that, because he dosen't look at the things he is droping! Andrew is affected globaly and I think you guys are right... It's sensory, sensory, sensory!!!
Andrew goes to pre-school 5 days a week, and it is helping... He also gets 1 hour a week of a ST/OT co-treatment. ABA........ We can not afford, and our area is not very well equiped for special needs kids. We are going to the doctor, tomarrow, because Andrew is having some surgeries this month, so I will see if ABA or something can be perscribed, so that insurance can help somehow
Again thank all of you!
Love, Jessica