Should I be concerned?
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| Thu, 06-16-2005 - 9:49am |
Oh I need some help-advice. Since ds is on the ASD scale I have no idea what normal tantrum behavior for a 3 yo-well I kinda do but not really. LAtely Katie has been getting mad-really mad and when she does she will stiffin up her arms, grit her teeth and scream at the top of her lungs then proceed to yell at who ever is in her path(well unless it dh) mostly me and ds. Then if when it gets really bad she throws herself on the floor whining and then proceeds to hit and or punch herself in the head and or bang it on the floor then yesterday she started bitting her fingers and hand she was so mad/frustrated.
Is this normal tantrum behavior? I know these are the kind of tantrums some kinds on the ASD scale have but ds didnt until he was older, he was laid back and quiet until about 4.5 then all he(( broke lose. I know hse has seen some of this from her older brother but not for about a year. ALso since she is a girl they react different-is she just being dramatic?
Thanks for any advice-- I do plan on talking about this with ds Phychologist but the next appt isnt unitl next month.
Liza JAke (12, AS) and Katie (3.5 NT?)

Hi Liza,
I would vote that it is normal except the self-inflicted pain stuff. It seems over-the-top.
HTH,
Cathy
Liza,
Nathan does that too. When he gets angry, he tightens his fists up, arms straight and stiff, grits his teeth, and screams! When he was younger he was pretty oblivious to alot of things. Quiet, kept to himself. When he got mad he would just scream and cry uncontrollably. I can't remember when it changed though....it was gradual. He does let out loud, piercing screams now. It's like he can't control it, he just needs to let it out.
He also tends to do things to hurt himself, although it's minor stuff, and I can get him to stop it fairly quickly. He'll bang his head with his fist or pound his foot or leg against something really hard. He's 6 now, HFA. There are things that he will do that are "normal" type behaviors too.....so I'm always watching him, trying to figure him out!! It's hard to compare to his brother....because their personalities are different to some degree too.
Michelle
If you are concerned get her evaluated. Any time parents start to question a childs development I think it is a good idea to have the child evaluated just to be sure. At least to learn what their strengths and needs are and what are some things you can do.
Sure younger kids may copy older children's behavior, but I think that is an excuse that is too easy to use. I know. I did it and am sorry I did. There is increased incidence if one child has ASD for the other children to have some level of difficulty so I would err on the side of being assertive with seeking intervention.
She may or may not have some issues, but I think it best to look into it and rule it out or in.
Renee
Around the time my son (ASD) turned 2, he started head banging when he was angry. And I mean really head banging- very hard and dangerous. When he started hurting himself, I decided that ASD or not, I could not let this go on. So, whenever he starts to hurt himself when he is upset, I immediately put him in time out and he stays there until he calms down. I will sit him in my lap and pin him if I have to in order to get him to stay put. I am understanding about most thing with him, but I was so scared about this behavior that I had to react more harshly than I normally wanted to. I am not sure if the behavior is ASD related or not, but for the most part by having serious consequences immediately, I have eliminated the behavior.
I think it is a good idea to get advice from her psycholoist on this since it is dangerous.