DS bit himself today :0(

[JustBeachy]

He has never left a mark before He is 5 and has ASD. It was during a melt down out of frustration. How can I prevent this happening/getting worse? Every time I see the little circle on his arm I want to cry

He is part time mainstream school, verbal but not really conversational, we do an ABA programme. I tried GF/CF when he was 3 - made no dicernable difference. Started fish oils and multiVits 10 days or so ago.

Any experiences on how I can handle this/what to expect in terms of escalation would be very helpful.

TIA

If it carries on, you could try googling 'chewy tubes', then he could bite down on these instead of himself.

Thanks Tribunal and Macha - I hope it's just a one-off or a short phase. Will ask my ABA consultant and try and shove a cushion in for him to bite instead if he tries to do it again - he bit the sofa a couple of weeks back so hopefully it will be a good enough substitute. He only has a melt down like that once in a while so i'm hoping it won't become a big issue but it's so heartbreaking to think of a 5 y.o hurting himself on purpose

Today is a new day...onwards and upwards...

My eldest went through this. It lasted a few years. From the time that he realised that he couldn't communicate and was bothered about that! (because at first he didn't care!) until the time he was able to talk - he started talking more than the odd word at about 6, but talked at toddler level for a few years but he's 11 now and speaks very well. If you talked to him at length you'd realise something was 'odd' but short conversations and you'd probably just think maybe engish wasn't his first language.

I tell you this because we were told all manner of things by the 'experts' - he'd never talk (ds2 we were told didn't understand the concept of names so wouldn't be able to know his name!) - he'd never live any form of independent life etc etc.

You should hear him chatting now! And in September he moves up to secondary - mainstream secondary! (will f/t 1:1 but who cares? )

I think I've forgotten my point

ah yes, it's horrible when they're so frustrated. Have you tried PECS if his frustration is coming from not being able to make himself understood?

And the other point of my rambly post is that there's always hope. The people my two were as toddlers and little boys is not how they are now as pre-teens. And they're not how the 'experts' predicted they would be either.

Just keep on putting one foot in front of the other. Focus on how to bring him forward. Get into his world and try to get him to want to come back out to yours with you! I found copying their stimming got their attention. They thought it was funny. - not copying in a mocking way btw.

And laugh. We had a stimming song. We yelled along with them. We had an emergency code for poo! (they were still in nappies at 6). We found humour in so much and it really helped.

Hecate that's wonderful your boys are doing so well - i'm always amazed when I hear "experts" have written ASD kids off like that at such a young age - ASD is nothing if not surprising after all...

DS can speak quite well but if he gets worked up he seems to forget how to listen/understand/make himself understood. I think we just need to make sure he gets enough opportunity to try and communicate to reduce the frustration.

LOL at the poo song...I made up a toilet song I used to sing to keep him sat on the loo for a while when we were toilet training...it was to the tune of the "bedtime business" Cbeebies song...very funny...he still sings it sometimes

Oh yes, you'd be amazed what the 'experts' have told me.

In fact, now I can't write the word 'expert' without the '' because it doesn't look or feel right

They like to put everyone in their little labeled boxes and have them behave accordingly, because that's how things are supposed to be and the people in the boxes must not deviate from the box behaviour. how very autistic of them.

Oh, and if you think the 'expert' is not right - you're "in denial" PMSL! How can you argue when they play the Denial Card? No matter what you say, well, you're "in denial" - "no I'm not in denial" - "see, there, you are in denial."

I've got loads of songs too. A brush your teeth song to the tune of chick chick chick chick chicken, for example. And the stim song which ended "bum-chikka-wow-wow. TWO." oh and "TWENTY THREE NINETEEN TWENTY THREE NINETEEN" was code for Poo Emergency, All Hands On Deck.

You've got to laugh. If you didn't, you'd go bonkers.

My ds bit himself today too, 3 times, and me once, all because he ate a plastic spoon and had to go to hospital....he did not like hospital.

its not nice to see bite marks all over them