RHP is right on the money, in my opinion.

First, make sure the problem is impulse control, and not some deeper issue. It sounds like you understand the cause, though. Many ASD kids can't distinguish between "good attention" and "bad attention", so they will engage in all sorts of odd behaviors for attention. As long as it works, they will do it over and over.

Second, remember to reward the act of calming down, and not the self-injury. When he is doing it, try to deny him attention, and limit your emotional response. If he is banging his knee, then try to insert a pillow or pad between his leg and the furniture, and then pretend to look away.

If he is making a request, then promise to meet the request as soon as he calms down. Then, when he calms down, praise him for his ability to calm down. Then, as long as the calm remains, you can make your own request while you met his.

For example, if he is requesting a cup of milk, even if that is not what started the problem, make sure that he doesn't learn that he can get a cup of milk just by throwing an emotional fit. By making the request, the milk then becomes the reward, and it has to be earned by engaging in some positive behavior.

In our case, it was not enough just to calm down, because our son quickly figured out that meltdowns produced more opportunities to earn rewards. So after he calmed down, we then asked him to do an unrelated activity, such as standing on one foot, and then gave the reward for standing on one foot.

@A MyAutismTeam Member and @A MyAutismTeam Member Thank you very much, your advice is exactly what his school behaviorist said.

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