Disciplining an autistic child in school is a little more difficult than disciplining a child without autism. Autistic children are sometimes slow learners and can be very sensitive. The autistic child needs a little more attention than a regular child. If you are giving an autistic child attention there won’t be much need for discipline.
An autistic child may react differently to punishment than a regular child. This is important to know in your disciplining technique for an autistic child. You want to discipline an autistic child on a level the child will understand. If the child cannot understand the discipline, the discipline will not correct the behavior.
In order to discipline an autistic child effectively at any age, you must first tell them “no” and stop the action in question. Once the action has stopped you can either redirect the child or you can tell the child how bad the action was and ask the child why. If the autistic child you are punishing is capable of speech, you need to question the child’s motive. Ask the child why he or she did that. Ask them if they know the difference between right and wrong and ask them to explain the difference or give you examples.
You must discipline an autistic child appropriately for the mental age level that the autistic child is at not the physical age of the autistic child. This is extremely important for any type of discipline, so that the autistic child will understand.
Disciplining an autistic child can be as easy as disciplining a regular child. You have to be familiar with the child and know what his or her mental capacity is. Touching an autistic child to redirect them may not work. Some autistic children do not want to be touched.
Talking to an autistic child or telling the autistic child “no” may have a negative effect. The autistic child may become more belligerent. He or she may be violent. The person giving the discipline should be familiar enough with the personality of the child that they will be able to handle the child.
Autistic children want to please. They are also craftier than one might imagine. An autistic child will reach an age where they will watch for your reaction. All children do this. Usually at two years old, children will do different activities to see whether or not they are acceptable. The ones that aren’t they will stop and usually try at a later time. That is why it is so important to be consistent in disciplining. If you let your child do it once, even if it is in between a bunch of “no’s” for the same activity, your child will think it is okay to do that activity.
If you consistently tell a child no, and then redirect or punish the child depending on age, the child will no longer attempt the activity or action. All children want to please. If you praise children when they are doing what they should, then they will continue that behavior. Consistency is key to any disciplining.
If an autistic child is in school and the teacher is able to give him or her extra attention, the child is less likely to need discipline. The teacher will need to be consistent with disciplining. Depending on the level of the autism, it is sometimes best the child not be mainstreamed because the teacher may not be able to give the attention the autistic child needs. If the child is in a special education program the child should have constant attention and consistency in discipline. If at any time you are worried about the discipline of your child you should contact the school or the teacher for a meeting.
