Challenging behaviors commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include aggression toward others, self-injurious (or self-harming) behaviors, and severe tantrumming [1,2].
People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention. It is important to note that some people without ASD might also have some of these symptoms.
Symptoms. Like all people on the autism spectrum, people who are high functioning have a hard time with social interaction and communication. They don't naturally read social cues and might find it difficult to make friends. They can get so stressed by a social situation that they shut down.
Challenging behaviour can include tantrums, hitting or kicking other people, throwing things or self-harming. Behaviour is challenging if it is harmful to the person and others around them, and if it stops the person achieving things in their daily life, such as making friends or concentrating at school.
'Challenging behaviour' is how we talk about a range of behaviours which some people with severe learning disabilities may display to get needs met. Behaviours might be things like: Hurting others (e.g. hair pulling, hitting, head-butting)
Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, are at increased risk for engaging in problem behavior such as self-injury, aggression, and property destruction. When these behaviors are intense and frequent, they can significantly impair a child's functioning.
Sensory overload, changes in routine, social isolation, co-occurring conditions, and lack of support can all exacerbate the symptoms of autism. However, with early intervention, therapy, and support, individuals with autism can manage these challenges and improve their quality of life.
difficulties with high-level language skills such as verbal reasoning, problem solving, making inferences and predictions. problems with understanding another person's point of view. difficulties initiating social interactions and maintaining an interaction.
It's common for autistic children to behave in challenging ways or ways that are difficult to manage. For example, autistic children and teenagers might: refuse or ignore requests. behave in socially inappropriate ways, like taking their clothes off in public.
Many autistic people experience hypersensitivity to bright lights or certain light wavelengths (e.g., LED or fluorescent lights). Certain sounds, smells, textures and tastes can also be overwhelming. This can result in sensory avoidance – trying to get away from stimuli that most people can easily tune out.
Kids with autism experience “deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to the absence of interest in peers (DSM-5).”
Social anxiety – or extreme fear of new people, crowds and social situations – is especially common among people with autism. In addition, many people with autism have difficulty controlling anxiety once something triggers it.
Main signs of autism
finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own. seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to.
Students with autism spectrum disorder may struggle to clue in to social cues and body language. It can be very difficult for them to understand the needs of others to show consideration. This makes it difficult to understand how to appropriately demonstrate good manners.
Slow triggers - These are the things that are going on in the background and they often start a long time before the challenging behaviour. Slow triggers make challenging behaviour more likely to happen because they cause people not to feel at their best.
Although your son's reaction sounds more severe than most, many people with autism struggle with a range of fears, phobias and worries. These can range from a debilitating fear of, say, spiders or the dark to chronic anxiety about making mistakes or being late.
Many children also had common childhood fears and phobias (including fear of dogs, bugs, spiders, snakes, the dark, doctors, barbers, monsters, people in costumes, mechanical toys, sleeping alone, fire, and swimming), which increased the overall proportion of children with autism who had intense fears and phobias to ...
Due to sensory sensitivities, someone with autism might: display unusual sensory seeking behaviour such as sniffing objects or staring intently at moving objects. display unusual sensory avoidance behaviours including evasion of everyday sounds and textures such as hair dryers, clothing tags, vacuum cleaners and sand.