Question:

Dear Dru,

I have a 6-year-old student with Asperger's in my special day class.  He frequently gets very upset over things that other students say or do.  If they don't answer a question correctly or do something the right way, he starts yelling and screaming.  I understand that his need for order is part of his disability.  I'm not always sure about how to handle his outbursts.  It disrupts the class and I have him in tears.  He has a schedule that he refers to each day and I try to give him advanced warning of any changes.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Jenny Tam

Answer:

Jenny!

Thanks for your question. I have seen this type of behavior in children with Asperger's Syndrome many times. They just can’t tolerate things if they are not “right” as defined by them! It disrupts the class and gets them nowhere in making friends.

Here are some ideas:

1. Provide a space in the classroom (“Jack’s Private Office”) where he can go when he is overwhelmed by the demands of the classroom. It can be the corner of the class library, or some protected spot with a beanbag chair.
   
2. Involve the child’s Speech and Language Specialist. He should have one! If he doesn’t, request an evaluation. He will qualify because his use of pragmatic language is deficient.
   
3. With the help of the Speech and Language Specialist, write a social story for the child to follow. Because he is so young, he will need pictures of some kind so that he can “read” it to himself. One source for learning to write social stories is at: http://www.thegraycenter.org/Social_Stories.htm There are also books and other resources at this site.

   The social story might look something like this:

   Sometimes my friends don’t know the right answer or do things the right way. This makes me mad and I want to tell them the right way. But this makes them feel bad. I will be very very quiet.. Instead I will squeeze my squeeze ball. (or other calming activity; see below) I can tell Ms. Tam the right answer later. Then my friends and Ms. Tam will be happy.

4. He will need time to learn to read his social story and to practice doing what it says before he is expected to use it in class. The social story must be reviewed with him when he is calm and not caught up in the situation.
   
5. With his family and other IEP team members, develop a list of calming activities. Practice these with the student.
   
6. Have a visual reminder that you can point to when you see him about to get upset, or to remind him of the expected behavior if he has already started. It might be a picture of the child squeezing his squeeze ball or it might be a copy of the social story.
   
7. Or, try Option Cards. Use index cards and write the problem:

   My classmates say or do things that are not right

   1. I can go to my private office.
   2. Squeeze my squeeze ball.
      

   (from Moore, S. (2002) Asperger's syndrome and the elementary school experience)

You don’t have to do this all alone, Jenny! The problem that the student is having is a part of who he is, and figuring out how to help him learn a different way to protest is as important for him as helping him learn academics. You might want to consider this new behavior as an IEP goal.

Another option in addition to the suggestions above is to involve the team in creating a Positive Behavior Plan.

http://www.pent.ca.gov/

Thanks so much for your question Jenny. I hope these ideas will help.

Best,
Dru

Other resources:

Myles, B. & Soutwick, J. (1999). Asperger’s sundrome and difficult moments: Practical solutions for tantrums, rages and meltdowns. Autism-Asperger Publishing Co. ww.asperger.net

Moyes, R. (2002). Addressing the challenging behavior of children with high-functioning autism/asperger syndrome in the classroom: A guide for teachers and parents. Jessica Kingley Publishers, www.jkp.com

Street, A. & Cattoche, R. (1995). Picture the progress: Drawings of positive student behavior for behavior cards, discussion cards, and rule charts. Autism-Asperger Publishing Co.www.asperger.net