Why Do ASD Children Do That?
The reasons behind specific conducts, stimming, and behaviors.
Kids with Autism have several quirks that non-Autistics consider different. The truth is that it has to do with us not really understanding what it’s like in the mind and body of someone with Autism.
So, why do they do that? Today, we will look into the most common autistic behaviors and conducts and explain the reasons behind them.
The reason behind common ASD conducts and behaviors.
1.- Lack of Eye Contact: A lot of Autism is related to sensory deficits. The avoidance of eye contact is no different. When a person is talking, you have to process auditorily and sometimes that makes it difficult to process visually. So a kid with Autism may have to choose to listen to a person or look at them.
Sensory may not always be the reason. Sometimes it can also be a deficit in social skills, which is another hallmark of Autism.
2.- Word Repetition: Echoing speech is a normal part of language development. Echolalia in autism can have one of several purposes, or its purpose can change over time. In some cases, phrases repetition can calm ASD children in stressful situations, or they can memorize a word for self-talk, or they might implement a complete phrase when its complicated for them to communicate with their own words. In all cases, echoing is a normal symptom of autism.
3.-Stimming: The term “stimming” is short for self-stimulatory behavior and is sometimes also called “stereotypic” behavior. In a person with autism, stimming usually refers to specific behaviors that include hand- flapping, rocking, or spinning. These conducts are self-soothing, and reduce anxiety or stress in situations that can be overwhelming for them, helping them regulate their emotions and feel better.
4.- Fixation: Fixation is a common characteristic of the behavior of an autistic child. The child may be fixated on a book, a picture, a person, maps, music, numbers, or a movie. Fixations can be a good thing because the child’s brain has finally found a place of function and normality. The old method of taking the fixation away from the child has been replaced with the idea of using the fixation to facilitate learning. If a child is fixated on a certain television cartoon, turn the sound off and let them read through closed captioning what is going on.
If children remember all the words of the program they are fixated on, they will soon begin to associate the words with actual audio sound. Not only does this placate the fixation, but it uses the fixation to stimulate learning in a new medium.
5.- Struggle with Transitions: Every transition requires a shift in attention, which might seem automatic but is actually a series of actions requiring you to:
- Disengage attention from the current thing
- Switch attention to the new thing
- Re-engage attention onto the new thing
Autistic people can have trouble with one or all of these steps. Hyperfocus and perseveration can make disengaging difficult, while sensory overload and distractability can interfere with switching focus and re-engaging. This is why slow transitions are important for them because it gives them time to process what is going on.
If you break transitions down and explain to them that change can be good, ASD children can find it easier to change activities without feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.
Remember that with patience and practice every ASD child can improve in changing activities and even get to enjoy them as regular activities. Don`t be discouraged if your child learning process takes longer than you expected, all your efforts will be worth it!
At World Stem Cell Clinic, we believe that that having an informed parent –in an effort to empower him and his family– is the only way for us to deliver optimal healthcare. Visit our website to find out more about our services and let us be part of your journey. You are not alone!
www.worldstemcellsclinic.com
Sources:
Posted in Uncategorized