How to Discipline a Child with Autism

By Ella Rain
Autism Author
One of the challenges parents face is how to discipline a child with autism. Each child
is unique, and the best approach depends on the individual case. Parents can work with
their child's treatment team to develop behavior intervention plans that work.
How to Discipline a Child with Autism
An autism diagnosis is not an excuse for bad behavior, and parents can keep their
expectations high for their children on the spectrum. Autistic children may have challenging
behaviors, and it is important to recognize their behaviors are like those of any other child,
only magnified. In addition, many children on the spectrum are unable to make connections
between actions and consequences.
Punishment is ineffective because the child may not make a connection between the
consequence and the negative behavior. How can a child who has trouble understanding
cause-and-effect be disciplined? Focus on what the child should do rather than what he
shouldn't do.

Positive Focus
Discipline should not begin when the child is behaving poorly; it may be more
effective to begin by helping the child understand what behavior is expected of her. Rather
than focusing on what the child shouldn't do, focus on the desired behavior. If you were
starting a new job and your supervisor only gave you feedback on your mistakes, you would
become agitated very quickly. This is especially true if the supervisor never took the time to
guide you in the right direction. If you only hear about what you shouldn't be doing, you
have little understanding of what the job actually entails.
Wouldn't it be much easier to have clear, concise instructions? Just as a supervisor
should outline job duties and expectations, parents should outline expectations for their
child's behavior. Approaches include:
Immediate, meaningful and concrete reinforcement for desired behavior
Using interests to encourage appropriate behavioral responses
Using visual aids as prompts
Using siblings and peers as role models
Incorporating expected behaviors into the child's daily routine
Using a printable behavior chart
Giving the child enjoyable tasks to complete

Consider the language as well. For example, replace "Stop running!" with "Show me how
you walk." This puts the focus on the desired behavior rather than the negative behavior.
Misbehaving is bound to happen, and this applies to all children. It helps to understand the
function of the behavior to develop a plan to discipline the child.

Function of Behavior
Behavior is essentially communication, and behavior has a function. Children may engage in
behaviors to get a desired response. Reasons a child may engage in negative behavior
include:
Basic needs are not being met: Is the child hungry, thirsty or tired?
Avoidance: Does the child get out of completing an undesirable task after engaging
in the behavior?
Inconsistent consequences: Is the child gambling with behavior because responses
vary?
Testing: Is the child trying to test limits?
Attention seeking behavior: Do you drop everything and give your child full attention
when he or she is acting up?
Sensory problems: Is there sensory input that could be uncomfortable, distracting or
painful to the child?
How can parents tell the difference between a tantrum caused by genuine fear or
discomfort from tantrums caused by attention seeking or avoidance? The differences can be
very difficult to detect, but many parents are able to tell by the urgency of the behavior:
Does the behavior seem to spring up out of nowhere?
Is the child panicked?
Does the behavior occur in a certain setting or around certain people?
Autism is not an excuse for bad behavior, but it is important to distinguish between bad
behavior and behavior that stems from genuine fear and anxiety. Some behaviors, no
matter what the source, are nonnegotiable.

Nonnegotiable Behavior
Disciplining a child with autism may involve dealing with nonnegotiable behaviors. This type
of behavior should not be ignored:
Injuring others
Injuring self
Damaging property
Parents can work with their child's treatment team to develop a safe crisis management
intervention plan depending on the severity of the behavior. Read 10 Ways to Deal with
Tantrums for strategies that may be effective.
Positive Reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement can be very effective because the child quickly learns to make
connections through motivation. Punishment is not motivating, and connections are less
likely to be made, especially when punishment is inconsistent. Negative reinforcement, on
the other hand, can be effective.

What Is Negative Reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement should not be confused with punishment. A parent can use
negative reinforcement to shape behavior, and the approach uses an undesirable task to
achieve results. For example, a child may dislike doing puzzles. Parent can encourage
compliant behavior by cutting a puzzle activity short after the child follows directions
without whining.The target behavior is following directions and the negative behavior is
whining. The child learns that he is able to finish the task immediately once she stops
whining. Otherwise, the activity continues.

Developing Plans for Discipline
Learning how to discipline a child with autism takes discipline. One of the best things
you can do is to develop a plan for dealing with negative behaviors, and follow through
consistently. In order to be consistent, it is helpful to follow your parenting style.
Parenting an autistic child is challenging, and dealing with difficult behaviors can be
exhausting. If you work with your child consistently, behavior will improve.

Reaction:
It is very difficult to have a child with Autism, emotionally, psychologically, physically and
financially but it is more difficult to discipline one... I myself have a child who was diagnosed
of autism that is why somehow I could relate to other mothers who have one. Autistic
children need more supervision than a normal child and the family plays a very important
role in the childs development. As a mother I know it is very difficult to discipline a child
with autism because they can be very moody, they also have less feelings about their
actions whether it is acceptable or not. Using the said method on how to manage your child
is a big help because this can help mothers who are less knowledgeable on dealing with
autistic children. Being a mother shows no difference in whether you have an autistic child
or not, it is showing them how much you love, respect and understand them would be
enough to respect and follow your rules. Being there for them is the most essential part
because they know that whatever happens you will always be their superhero in everything.














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