Do you punish your autistic child when they break stuff?

[OrchidInTheSun]

DS has just broken a support off his new keyboard because it wasn't working properly. He's very upset, I've calmed him down.

Should I punish him? I did tell him off but I'm minded to leave it at that.

How old is he? I don't go a big heap for punishments, but do have some "natural consequences" (E.g. No bubble baths since DD poured half a bottle in the bath at once, or losing TV time if bad behaviour eats a lot of time in the day). I think linking cause and effect is important, but punishments that seem arbitrary/unfair will do more harm than good I think. I certainly wouldn't punish (and would try to not even tell off) if I thought it was clumsiness or meltdown/overload related, though we often find it hard to distinguish from more normal kid "naughtiness" or "carelessness" that I think we should give DD some responsibility for. It's a tough line to tread isn't it?

Also, if DS is a bit older is there some way to involve him in problem solving a solution? E.g. Making a new support or earning a new one by doing some jobs? Might make him recognise the consequence but in a way that empowers him to do something about it and leave it as a positive rather than a negative?