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SN children

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Original poster

throwing things down stairs revisited

23 replies

Jimjams · 07/08/2004 11:13

Hmmm well after having our toilet blocked bathrooms are permanently barricaded so there's been no flushing recently. However throwing thing down stairs has become frenzied! A casette recorder was smashed to pieces yesterday.

The redirections I've tried (sand/water play) haven't worked either becuase of inappropriate behaviour (throwing sand) or because ds2 tries to join in and ds1 just can't tolerate playing with the same thing as him so he wanders off.

I am getting pretty attuned to the sound of something being picked up and the pitter patter up the stairs, and if I yell BEFORE the object is thrown he won't do it- of course can't do it afterwards as that just reinforces it, so am stuck to a fairly neutral response.

We are off to the ILs soon and they have a fantastic stairway for throwing stuff (think I'd quite enjoy doing it myself there tbh). Any more ideas? I don't think there is much, but I justy know my MIL will yell and reinforce so I really want to sort out as much as possible before we go.

I have one last idea- which came to me as I wrote this I've noticed that at mums he tends to chuck teddies as she has a lot of teddies lying around within easy reach at the top of the stairs. It won't stop him throwing stuff, but maybe it'll make it more likely that 90% of the stuff he throws is light.

If I go for this approach do I reinforce "good throwing" versus throwing the heavy stuff?

OP posts:

shrub · 07/08/2004 11:27

hi jimjams - my ds1's teacher helped by saying to reinforce what they are allowed to throw - what about buying those soft balls they have in play parks - the type they use in 'ball pools'? i think you can buy them in packs of 50/100. talk to the inlaws and ask if this could be a possibility, explain about vertical schemas and ds wanting to grasp gravity so they understand his behaviour? or marble run - you can get large ones with polysterene balls? another thought is an old game i use to play at my friends house though don't know if this is suitable: we would use sleeping bags as sledges and have sleeping bag races down the stairs - depends how tolerant the inlaws are!

Original poster

Jimjams · 07/08/2004 18:37

ROFL the teddies didn't work. He threw them all down then once he's run out found my hairdryer and threw that instead. Ah well back to the drawing board.

OP posts:

SofiaAmes · 07/08/2004 22:26

Jimjams, I know it's not quite the same thing, but when my ds was 9 months or so he used to love throwing things down the stairs. The more noise the better (we had timber stairs). So I'd put him with a box of small wooden blocks at the top of the stairs and let him throw them all down. He did grow out of it eventually (but not before throwing himself down the stairs with one of the blocks...he forgot to let go).

Original poster

Jimjams · 08/08/2004 08:15

Nope the soft stuff was definitely a bad idea. He got well and truly into the swing of things and the upstairs PECS board (a big white board) cam crashing down the stairs as well.

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InternationalGirl · 08/08/2004 09:36

Sounds to me like a task for an ABA therapist. This behaviour is just not appropriate. By the sounds of what he is throwing your little one could get seriously hurt and what about when you have a little baby around soon. I understand he may be curious but perhaps this has gone way too far and needs to be stopped not redirected. If you have an ABA therapist I would definitely address this behaviour problem with them.

I'm sorry if I am sounding all too serious

Fio2 · 09/08/2004 06:14

oh jimjams sorry about the toilets ours blocked this weekend and has been a nightmare. We are having to use the very grim basement toilet whilst the other two are now out of bounds. New soil pipe for us and a very expensive 'drain' company bill. Did you manage to get yours sorted at all. It is making me feel sick

Sorry no help on the stair front!!!!

Original poster

Jimjams · 10/08/2004 14:38

Almost fixed Fio

ABA therapist has no idea IG. Just the usual things we've tried. Main problem is its difficult to catch him in the act- and almost any response after throwing is reinforcing. Some things are a bit difficult to stop.

I suspect like Davros there is a sensory element and they seem to be hard to prevent.

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Twiglett · 10/08/2004 15:09

message withdrawn

Twiglett · 10/08/2004 15:15

message withdrawn

Original poster

Jimjams · 10/08/2004 15:16

He'll carry them up to throw them twiglett. I think its the dropping he likes- and he's more than happy to throw light things- it just doesn't stop there and when he runs out he grabs the next nearest thing.

At times like this I wish I was minimalist m

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soapbox · 10/08/2004 15:47

Hi Jimjams

The only think I can think of is a bit drastic. Can you put external bolt type locks on all the upstairs doors and make sure there is nothing lying around on the landing.

Having said that, if hes desparate to do this from a sensory point of view, I imagine he will just cart what he needs upstairs!

Bolts on all the downstairs rooms sound just a bit too far, and of course there will be all sorts of awkward questions as to why you have bolts on the outsides of your children's bedroom doors

Can't you convince DS2 that it will be good cricket practice for when he is older and have him hang around obliginly at the bottom of the stairs ready to catch

soapbox · 10/08/2004 15:48

I think Twiglett's 'g' key problem has infected my machine. It sould say obliglingly

soapbox · 10/08/2004 15:49

Or even obligingly...

Original poster

Jimjams · 10/08/2004 15:49

He won't tolerate locked doors inside. (headbuts them) The bathrooms are barricaded off using travel barriers- bit not sure we could do every room. He always runs upstairs to watch someone drive off so we would end up with a lot of screaming.....

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Saker · 10/08/2004 18:21

Do you have a trampoline - I know it sounds like a very expensive option but we just bought one plus safety net off e-bay and there are a lot of good offers on new ones on there at the moment. I know it's totally unrelated to throwing things downstairs but I wondered if might give your ds1 an alternative activity. With the safety net they can't fall off or get off. You need quite a bit of space in the garden though.

Both my kids love it and I am also hopeful it will do my ds2's balance, proprioception, muscle tone some good.

I feel cheeky suggesting anything because I have no experience of this, so feel free to ignore if you've already been there, done that or if it's totally inappropriate.

Original poster

Jimjams · 10/08/2004 20:03

We have a mini trampline. We will get a large one, but probably when we redo the kitchen and garden in a few years time- our garden is very small so everything has to be planned carefully. He like the trampline, but much prefers to jump with someone rather than by himself!

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Davros · 10/08/2004 21:06

Not a silly idea at all Saker. THe expert I saw lecture on "challenging behaviour" stated that trampoliningn is THE most effective thing for reducing anxiety in individuals with SN. Won't fulfil the need to see things drop/fall etc though but is absolutely worth doing. We don't have a big enough garden so jumbo 9 year old is still on ELC trampoling

Original poster

Jimjams · 10/08/2004 21:31

Davros one of the trampoline companies gives instructions for setting the trampoline into the ground (iyswim). I thought we may try and do that as we could probably just about fit that in a corner somewhere- whereas we couldn't fit it above ground (does that make sense?). A few years though.

OP posts:

heartinthecountry · 10/08/2004 21:43

Aah, that's really interesting about trampolining being a stress reliever because a couple of weeks ago we were at a friend's who had one of those huge trampolines and dd absolutely LOVED it. I just plonked her on it out of interest because the other kids were bouncing around and I didn't want her to be left out. She ended up being thrown around all over the place but shrieked with giggles the whole time .

Unfortunately one would completely fill our London postage stamp garden.

Sorry Jimjams - seem to be hijacking your thread... afraid I'm no help at all on stair throwing.

Davros · 10/08/2004 21:46

And its not only good for anxiety, but for co-ordination, confidence, copying opportunities etc etc and, of course, is great fun and good exercise. If we find an extra corner in our "town garden" it will be filled with a hot tub!!

Original poster

Jimjams · 10/08/2004 21:50

Can you put a hot tub on a roof terrace? Probably too heavy. Eventually the roof terrace will be adult space- at the moment its a bit dodgy with very rusty looking railings. Sorry I'm now planning our town garden

OP posts:

Saker · 10/08/2004 22:54

Well just to say to anyone thinking of getting a trampoline that it is really worth looking at E-bay because they are so much cheaper - otherwise the safety net by itself is £200!.

My ds2 more or less held his birthday party on ours last week and it was nice as well because he was there in the thick of it with all the other kids rather than getting left out like he often does. Dh and I have been rather enjoying it also

If any of you were anywhere near me (Cambridgeshire) you would be welcome to come and use it - I feel we should open it up to the neighbourhood so everyone can have a go!

SoupDragon · 11/08/2004 15:18

JimJams, do you know what is it about the throwing downstairs that has your DS1 hooked? The throwing, the bouncing down the stairs or the resonding crash as the item hits the bottom? Could you transfer the "addiction" to throwing playballs at one of thos mini basket ball hoops that cheer loudly when they get hit? This might satisfy the throwing, the noise and maybe a bit of the "downwards" attractions.

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