Managing Child’s Behaviour & Behavioural tips

Managing Your Child’s Behaviour

When children misbehave, it can create significant stress for parents. When this behaviour is persistent, it can lead to challenges in daily life. We have a video that runs for just over 24 minutes, in which we share coping strategies and techniques to guide children toward making better choices. We discuss how to implement these strategies and address some frequently asked questions to support you in encouraging positive behaviour in your child.

Watch the support video on behaviour here: Behaviour

If you need assistance with your child’s behaviour, please reach out to your school nursing team, and we will be glad to help.

Support Strategies for Managing Behaviour in Autistic Children

There are many factors that affect the behaviour of an autistic child.

For example, the child could be:

• Trying to communicate their confusion, anxiety or frustration.
• Experiencing sensory overload or difficulty in processing sensory information.
• Responding to activities/experiences which are under or over stimulating.
• Exerting control over their environment/situation/context.
• Unsettled by disruption to routines.

In any of these instances, one of the most important things you can do to support is to listen to them.

More support

Community Autism Support Service CASS – Home – Community Autism Support Service CASS

Tips for Managing Behaviour

As well as listening closely to your child, there are some other things you can do to help manage their behaviour:

1. Be patient and realistic when setting goals.
2. Be consistent, and make sure you communicate with family and friends so you are all giving the same message.
3. Consider the environment and the impact it might be having on your child’s senses. Some autistic children can find certain environments and situations overwhelming. The sound of the setting might be too loud or too high pitched, while others might not be able to manage some tastes or food textures, or find that someone touching them in a crowded space, even lightly, can be too much
4. Use praise and reward, rather than punishment. Many autistic children don’t understand the connection between their behaviour and punishment. If your child is being punished but doesn’t understand what they’ve done, this won’t help them to learn from the experience. Try to give praise and rewards immediately, and in a way that will mean something to your child. Some children like verbal praise; others might prefer to get another kind of reward, like a sticker or a star chart, or a set period of time playing a computer game or watching a movie.
5. Manage change and transition times – a number of autistic children find it difficult to adapt to changes. These could be simple changes such as going a different route to school due to traffic or changes in clothes due to the weather. It’s important to explain changes well. Some changes can be bigger and more permanent, such moving house, so these will need to be explained in more detail.

Bullying and Autism

Unfortunately, autistic children are more vulnerable to bullying as other children don’t understand why they are behaving in a certain way. Bullying can cause feelings of depression and anxiety, and your child may find it hard to be able to express themselves and explain what’s happening to them or even realise that they are being bullied.

Children with autism often find it hard to read facial expressions and body language. They therefore can’t tell when someone is being friendly or if they are trying to hurt them. This means they may misunderstand the intentions of their peers.

As a result, you may need to look for other clues to find out if your child is being bullied.

For example, they might:

• Come home with dirty, damaged or missing clothes, bags or books, with bruises or scratches, without money they should have or are asking for more money the next day.
• Arrive at school or get home late because they have changed their route to or from school.
• Be reluctant to go to school and make excuses to avoid going.
• Seem to be stressed, depressed, unhappy or unwell.
• Show a deterioration in concentration or the standard of schoolwork.
• Show an increase or change in obsessional/repetitive behaviour.

If you see a change in your child’s behaviour, offer a safe space and time out where they can calm themselves down. Some children with autism engage well with sensory objects, but it’s important to know what works for your child.

Whatever their preferred method of relaxation, whether it be playing with sensory objects, listening to music or colouring in, try to build this into their daily routine so they always have that time to calm down and relax.

Advice and Support Around Toileting

Do you need support with toileting? We have filmed a 20-minute session that covers all aspects of toileting, including daytime wetting, nighttime wetting, soiling, toilet training, and more. It is designed to guide you through effective strategies for promoting successful toileting with your child. These techniques are not only straightforward and easy to implement but also essential in helping children overcome these challenges.

Watch the support video on toileting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKoe_jTeSHA

For more information on toileting, please see the links below:

ERIC – The Children’s Bowel and Bladder Charity – Home – ERIC

Bladder and Bowel UK – Bladder & Bowel UK home page – Bladder & Bowel UK

National Autistic Society – Toilet training children on the autism spectrum – Toileting

NHS – How to potty train – NHS