Hello,
I am a teacher who is looking to help a student and his parents. This student has autism and has very little verbal expression. His most frequent stim tends to be verbal scripting. It is clear he is quoting something, but he is difficult to understand. He also enjoys deep pressure and will often squeeze his own hands when he begins to get frustrated. I firmly believe that it is important to let students stim and do not mind the constant chatter that runs through my class during downtime. The concern is when this student begins to escalate. His quotes turn into a loud deep shout that lasts from 10-30 seconds, and it is LOUD. When he gets to this point he is no longer smiling, has his brows drawn together and gets louder and louder.
We have tried taking him to jump on a trampoline, but sometimes even after 30 minutes of jumping he still doesn't seem okay. We have tried sending him to a quiet room, deep pressure, walks, water, food, taking sweatshirts off, putting sweatshirts on, and giving him headphones. All attempts to ask him what's wrong result in more yelling and frustration from him.
I have been searching for ways to help, but they all feel a lot like dog training or conditioning behavior which I feel is very dehumanizing. I want to help this young man be successful and confident, to find his own voice, and to be able to tell his caretakers when he needs help.
Parents, what have you done in similar situations? What would you want your child's school to do?
People with Autism, do you have any insights that can help me help this young man?
I am a teacher who is looking to help a student and his parents. This student has autism and has very little verbal expression. His most frequent stim tends to be verbal scripting. It is clear he is quoting something, but he is difficult to understand. He also enjoys deep pressure and will often squeeze his own hands when he begins to get frustrated. I firmly believe that it is important to let students stim and do not mind the constant chatter that runs through my class during downtime. The concern is when this student begins to escalate. His quotes turn into a loud deep shout that lasts from 10-30 seconds, and it is LOUD. When he gets to this point he is no longer smiling, has his brows drawn together and gets louder and louder.
We have tried taking him to jump on a trampoline, but sometimes even after 30 minutes of jumping he still doesn't seem okay. We have tried sending him to a quiet room, deep pressure, walks, water, food, taking sweatshirts off, putting sweatshirts on, and giving him headphones. All attempts to ask him what's wrong result in more yelling and frustration from him.
I have been searching for ways to help, but they all feel a lot like dog training or conditioning behavior which I feel is very dehumanizing. I want to help this young man be successful and confident, to find his own voice, and to be able to tell his caretakers when he needs help.
Parents, what have you done in similar situations? What would you want your child's school to do?
People with Autism, do you have any insights that can help me help this young man?
