Blinking, squinting, shaking one's head constantly, looking at spinning objects, asking the same question repeatedly, putting things in a fixed order, wearing only the same clothes, ......These are all manifestations of stereotyped behaviors in children with autism
When my son was 3 years old, he had some abnormal behavior, and the elderly said that the boy's late growth did not attract attention.
Now 6 years old, there is no active social interaction, poor behavior instructions, immersed in his own world, and cannot integrate into school.
At present, the most worrying thing is that there are a lot of behaviors of beads rubbing their hands and patting their heads, especially when their fingers are rubbed, which is very distressing.The father of a suspected autistic child reported on his child's previous situation.
In fact, these behaviors of this child belong to"Stereotyped behavior"., which is one of the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) states:
Repetitive stereotyped behaviors refer to a series of behaviors with high frequency, no obvious purpose and meaning, and also include narrow interests and difficulty accepting changes in things.
Younger children often exhibit simple, repetitive, stereotyped movements, such as constantly turning in circles and shaking their bodies
With the development of ability, some stereotyped behaviors are manifested in the fact that items must be arranged in a row, fixed toys and fixed gameplay, and insisting on a fixed route.
Children at a higher stage or level of function often show an interest in numbers or an obsession with car signs, license plate numbers, circuit diagrams, etc.1. Stereotyped languageFor example, repeating the same sentence, singing the same song, liking to ask questions repeatedly, and stereotypical behaviors cannot use language flexibly, especially weak in sentence organization.
2. Stereotyped actions
For example, repeated shaking of hands, repeated finger play, spinning, running and jumping, repeated shaking of the body, head beating and self-injury, and other rigid body movements.
3. Stereotyped thinking
For example, the blocks must be built in a line, the counting must be from 1 to 10 without interrupting, the story must only tell the same story, and the return home must follow the same path, etc.
This kind of stereotyped behavior has a certain degree of thinking order.
4. Rigid rules
For example, a game can only be won and not lost;The restaurant only eats the same dish from the same restaurant, and only plays the rules of proficiency when playing games, and other rules are not acceptable.
Why autistic children like to indulge in repetitive behaviors and what the background mechanism is are so far unclear to the academic community.
According to the descriptions of some high-functioning ASDs or their autobiographies, they almost all of them are called:
"This repetition is the result of a strong impulse from the depths of the heart, and it can bring about onePleasant feelings
Another explanation is that stereotyped actions are one of themCompensatory BehaviorThrough repeated stereotypical behaviors, you can calm yourself down and not be overly nervous and afraid.Of course, there are some behaviors that will be misunderstood as "stereotyped behaviors", parents should pay attention, and for details, you can review the previous article to introduce these 10 stereotypical behaviors that appear to be autism?Of course not!
Boring and uninteresting:Stereotyped behaviour is much lower when children are on task than when they are not, so stereotyping may be associated with boredom.
Sensory stimulation:Prolonged boredom will cause children to start doing abnormal behaviors to get sensory pleasure, and over time these abnormal behaviors will begin to solidify.
Get Noticed:Some stereotyped behaviors occur to gain attention from others, such as children slapping their heads in order to get attention, and if parents give feedback, this behavior can develop over time.
Environmental factors:Stereotyped behaviors may be caused by changes in environmental factors, such as changing caregivers, nannies, caregivers, etc., making children unable to adapt to the new environment, resulting in anxiety and restlessness, leading to the emergence of stereotyped behaviors.
Genetic factors:Studies have shown that stereotypical behaviors in children with autism may be related to genetic factors.Stereotypical behavior can be the result of a combination of factors. For the emergence of stereotyped behaviors, parents should detect them as early as possible and take corresponding measures to intervene and correct them.
1. Prevent in advance
To put it simplyKeep an eye out for any "signs" of stereotypical behaviour that may precede a child with autismto avoid triggers or make targeted changes to divert their attention from stereotypical behaviors.
2. Try to give your child something to do
Organize your child's timeReduce the amount of time your child has nothing to doThis not only allows children to have no time to do so-called stereotyped behaviors, but also makes good use of these fragments of time, which can be used to train children's cooperation and improve some abilities.
3. Interrupt immediately and divert attention
Once stereotyped behaviors, especially stereotyped actions, occurInterrupt immediately, distract your child, and do something elseto avoid the severity of stereotyped behavior. For example, if the child insists on taking only the same route home, then at this time, the child's attention can be diverted by other things that he is interested in, so that he can gradually change the route to go home while doing what he likes.
4. Replace it with something your child likes
Some behaviors,It's best to replace the behavior before it happens。For example, if a child bites his finger may be to get oral stimulation, he can use a teething stick or other food to let the child also get oral stimulation to reduce the appearance of stereotyped behaviors, or arrange for him to play with his favorite toys or read favorite books first, so that he can forget to "bite his fingers".
Reducing stereotyped behaviors requires patient guidance and intervention from parents, as well as active cooperation and participation from children. Stereotypical behaviors can be effectively reduced by establishing regular routines, providing a variety of activities, encouraging social interaction, providing appropriate Xi Xi opportunities, giving positive incentives, and seeking professional help.