stimming issue *explicit* | Autism PDD
I would like some advice please. I have been reading in various places
about how some autistic children self stimulate with different
behaviors. My dd (4.5, pdd-nos autism dx) has a regular habit of
playing with her privates. I do not think that it is sexual behavior.
She seems to do it for relaxation or when she is nervous. I was
wondering if any parents have experience with this and whether this
could be stimming. I have asked her OT and she says we should see a
doctor. Her teachers seem to be embarassed by it. No one has offered
any constructive advice. Kiana is verbal but not at all conversational.
I do not want her to think that this is "bad" just that it is better
done in private. Any advice? Will she grow out of it? I am amazed that
none of her teachers/therapists has offered any support.
Yvonne
Yvonne,
I had this problem with Lachlan until we did sensory brushing with him. He hasn't stimmed this way in months.
Do you think it's possible to 'redirect' your daughter possibly with a toy for stimming. (i.e something she can have in her pocket).
Does she have an IEP in place at school?
Mysh
I, too, was going to mention boxer briefs, (cotton/spandex ) for boys. Sam hated the feeling of moving around in loser cut underware and he was forever re-arranging himself. Since I discovered boxers the issue resolved itself - just in time for gr.1.
Mama to Sam 8yrs PDD NOS OCD ODD
Thank goodness for boxer briefs :) I never tried the pandex cause he hates clothes close to his body...Two yrs ago I finally got him into long sleeve shirts..now I have to take him mind off moles on his body..yeah moles..oh boy what a story there..Sometimes you just help but stand back and forget stuff and just laugh...they are something else huh..just hang in there..I can promise it'll get better but for now..Laugh
My daughters 'grind' on certain chairs. We've told them to not do it enough that they know that they aren't supposed to do it in public, but they occasionally try to get away with it anyways. I have no idea of NT little girls do this sort of thing or not... I know that boredom is a factor. As long as the girls are engaged, they tend to not do it, but if they're just zoning out - like on a long car ride, they might lapse into this behavior. I think it's just a case of something that feels good, so they do it, and being 4 year olds, they don't (and shouldn't) understand why they shouldn't do it wherever and whenever they feel like it. We've been working on this behavior for a long time... I think we've made progress in that they know understand that it's something that they should not be doing while around other people, but they still try to get away with it when they think no one will notice. Hopefully, eventually, they'll get the idea that this is something that they shouldn't be doing out in the open.Here's a recent thread regarding this issue. I hope you find it helpful.
http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16594&am p;KW=private+parts
Do not feel embarrassed - a lot of NT kids do this - heck many NT adults do this - they just know not to do it in public
- my mom told me today about other NT kids also engaging in this behaviorWe are also doing what Lachlan's mom just said
We are also planning doing brushing and other sensory diet activities like massage and all - Its very helpful and very easy to make a fun interactive game of it
Yvonne
I just had a conversation with 3 moms with NT girls between 4 and 6. They
were ALL grinding on furniture or rubbing themselves as a self soothing
behavior. So, definitely not an ASD thing.My NT DD is always being reminded that this is not behavior we do around other people. Hers is hands doen the pants while watching tv. So, the correcting the behavr is much "easier" in NT's, don't think for a split second that teh behvr is unique. Hang in there. I agree with the others about redirect and engage.
I noticed my son would pinch his private parts a few months back and it looked like it would be painful but it defi. wasnt to him! Altho he still does it occasionally still it got to the point where he was doing it aaaaaaall the time and I wondered (once finding out about stimming) if thats what he could be doing at that time. Im not sure if it was or not but he actually started doing it in the grocery store screaming at me upset when I tried explaining to him that he should only do that in private he then went on to vigorously stim how he usually does. He stoped doing it so much so not sure if it was stimming especially since his usual stims dropped off and seemed to be replaced by the pinching or if he had some irritation that resolved itself that someone brought up as a possibility to me.
This thread is really funny somehowToday Dh and I had gone to the Mall before R's naptime and he was with his Gran - when I called my mom to see if he had fallen asleep - my mom told me ruefully "he rubbed his thing o sleep"
My son will have his hands down his pants a lot ,mostly at home when he is in his underwear,(All the Time
At soccer we have to constantly have to remind him ,Don't touch your Penis, for him it is a nervous thing.
Linda
I read someplace the 90% of adults admit to having done this at one time or another. We just call "it" our son's favorite toy. The problem (as it were) is that ASD folks are not aware that it embarrasses others since they don't get the social cues.Grinding, rubbing, etc. are definitely not an ASD thing. My sister has a 5 year old that has been grinding/humping every piece of furniture in sight since age 2. We never try to stop the behavior, we just tell him that he needs to do that in his room and now that's where he does it.
My kids don't do this (I've been spared something I guess) but my NT son walked up to me the other day, pulled down his pants displaying his "kiddie erection" and said me "Mommy, I don't like it when my penis stands up. Can you make it go down for me?"
ETA: one OT recommended we send her to the bathroom whenever she does that in public ... and it is a non-confrontational way of discouraging that behavior ...
[QUOTE=missnippy]There seems to be a consensus on this board that "all kids do this" and "it is definitely not autism" but my point was that my daughter does not know whether it is proper behavior or not, she is autistic and many of her behaviors are "inappropriate". It is interfering with her potty training, it is taking most of her attention, and has become a regular occurence that is distracting for everyone. I would like to get her to stop or cut back on it, but her teachers/therapists are not addressing this behavior and I dont know what to do. [/QUOTE]
I would definitely talk to your dd's developmental pediatrician or child psychologist about this since her therapists and teachers aren't helping. It seems like most people responding here just don't have experience with as severe a case of this as you're dealing with (I sure don't), and it is so important for you to get some definite direction to deal with this in your particular case. ((((hugs)))))
I am new and was browsing when I found you guys here...I saw this thread and I too once had this problem with gson that I am rasing. Gson is PDD-NOD, Dev. Delayed. SID, Mild MR among others to numerous to mention. (7 1/2yrs old)
When gson was 4 or 5 he was playing with himself..he attended a special school for children with special needs...Well they turned me into Dept of Human Services..talk about an ordeal..thank god for the experts at Childrens Hospital who told them that a vast majority or ASD kids do this.
It took almost a year for him to get out of the behaviour..plus I had a great case worker who said he had a son that was 20ish and would get out of the shower with towel and shake his thing LOL.
I have to be real careful what gson views on tv..if people kiss its a thousand questions..now I just turn the channel with something like a simple lil kiss occurs.
He still loves his body bigggg time LOL...but it does get better. The solution is just getting to the right people for help and I would suggest if there is a child study center anywhere that you get with them...it'll take alot of pressure off of you and from some of the folks at schools or daycares who think they are experts..
There is light at the end of the tunnel...
His trampoline has broken and sure enough the stiming came back.
Maybe a social story about when and where to do it. And efforts to redirect when not in the right place. Maybe possibly some signal to the adults that she needs to be alone...but if this is a nervous thing then maybe that would just make her more nervous.Maybe you need to get not doing "it" in the classroom as an IEP goal. I'll bet that the SD would find some reason that its not their problem...
We had the trampoline too..we did alot of things to redirect or found him something to take his mind off it...Now that behavior has stopped..now the stemming he does is removing the skin off his lips and fingers up the nose.
He has Speech and OT twice a week an hour each..one of our battles and I really must learn to pick my battles is that he hates having his whole foot in his shoes
He's an interesting child for sure but what a joy and I'd not change for anything.
There seems to be a consensus on this board that "all kids do this" and "it is definitely not autism" but my point was that my daughter does not know whether it is proper behavior or not, she is autistic and many of her behaviors are "inappropriate". It is interfering with her potty training, it is taking most of her attention, and has become a regular occurence that is distracting for everyone. I would like to get her to stop or cut back on it, but her teachers/therapists are not addressing this behavior and I dont know what to do.
Ali does this too. It is something I have taught her should only be done in private. She has mostly limited it to when she is in the bath and before sleep. It is tough because she used to do it all the time and she calls it "tickling myself". She also scratches there A LOT. She said it itches. I do my best to get her to do both only out of sight. She has gotten much better...but sometimes she will briefly scratch in public. Not sure how school will react if she does it there...but she is much better and I ignore the little she still does. The more attention I gave trying to STOP the behavior the worse it got....but when I told her to do it in private and tried a social story about it, she got much better. Best of luck to you! This is def. tough....
My 2.5 year old son does this. He always sticks his hands down his pants and informs everyone he is touching his pee pee! I was hoping it would go away but we are going on a month and now he says bye bye to it when we out his diaper on!Well its almost time for therapy..talk laters.
To Conners Mommy....good luck it took gson a while before he started leaving the peepee alone..I even made a social story for him and it did not work..we read it three times a day...once before school..during school in therapy and then at bed time...but I often wondered if they actually read it to him at school..but he's gone from there and now he's attending school..he's in the second grade and in special ed.Copyright Autism-PDD.net