Help! Behavior problem with autistic ds

[winniethepoohsmom]

My ds 15 is autistic, over the years we have had many behavior issues to deal with. I am now at my wits end he has had an obsession with paper ripping for years, we have gone to extremes to hide, put away or throw out any papers in the house. I have met a few people who's children have done the same thing. His paper ripping has now progressed to ripping his clothing. We emptied his closet and drawers and locked his clothes in a closet in our bedroom. He is now ripping his clothes while wearing them. Today he came off the school bus with ripped pants ripped shirt, jacket and even his underwear, and that was after ripping a shirt before he left for school. I bought some jeans for him today hoping he won't be able to rip them, but beyond that I don't know what to do next other than to get him a suit of armour. Has anyone else had to deal with this. I am open to suggestions. Schools closed for the next 10 days and I will be out of my mind very soon!

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm going to move this to our disABILITIES Community Board.

My suggestion would be contacting the doctor to check if he might have something like a urinary tract infection.
I work at a Rehab hospital where we have a behavior unit that treats people with Alzheimer's and brain injuries who have developed behaviors that their home or residence can't handle. We test for urinary tract infections when they are admitted to us and find many have infections.
I'm not equating Autism with those conditions in any way, but many people who can't communicate in any other way that something is wrong will communicate with their behavior.

Good luck and hopefully someone else will be able to help you out.

 

[WildGrits]

I'm sorry to hear your guy is having problems.

I'm sure like SueM said, there is some underlying problem.

Till you find out what that is, might I suggest a set of Tyvek coveralls. They are very lightweight and very indestructable.

 

[Heluvsme]

I think that to suppress a stim only brings it out in full force. What about allowing a planned ripping? Let him have old newspapers, papers, etc....then allow him to do it in his room at a certain time everyday. It's like hand flapping, if you try to stop it, you can make it worse. If he KNOWS he will be allowed to let out this ripping urge on a daily basis, at the same time, in the privacy of his room without hassle and interference, it may satisfy whatever need he has and it might actually start to diminish over time. Stims come and go, more than likely this won't last forever, unless it's repressed, then it might stick around longer than it would have. He won't feel bad about himself because no one's getting mad about it, he will satisfy a need/urge he has, and he will be able to look forward to the guaranteed time, maybe he won't do it in school if he knows he can have a good half hour to do it at home in the afternoons. It is a calming thing for autistic people, to have those urges and satisfy them. It can calm him in the long run.

Just my opinions, hope I didn't go completely against what you were looking for.

 

[BeckyScott]

I was thinking something very similar to what Heluvsme suggested. Of course, it would be best to make sure there isn't any underlying medical issue first (UTI's can really mess with you, I know that firsthand).

Perhaps you could put it to use, and let him rip up your junk mail? Okay, joking, but not really joking. Turn the stim into something productive and acceptable. Give him a box of things that are okay to rip up, papers, cereal boxes, old towels or whatever you can find. Try to make it perfectly clear to him that only the things in the box, you want him to rip up, and it's okay, and when he is done you will find more stuff for him.

 

[ducklite]

I'd be happy to keep my newspapers rather than sending them to recycling and have DH bring them north with him when he drives between FL and NJ if you'd like some extras. (every other month or so these days)

Anne

 

[belle&beast]

I am a speech therapist and I work in a preschool setting. We have a shredder in our classroom- the teachers couldn't even keep posters on the walls. Like others have suggested, we found that if we gave him appropriate things to tear or peel (he loves stickers, too) he will do it for a short time and move on. Good luck!

 

[winniethepoohsmom]

Thank you so much for all of your responses! I had actually thought about doing the same thing with allowing him time to rip. I had even sent in his shirt to school on Thursday that he had ripped in school Wednesday and wrote a note in ds's communication book about my idea. Thinking maybe he could have a time period in school and one at home. But I did'nt get a response from his teacher, so I don't know if they read his book or not? I do realize they have 9 children in the class and a lot going on as well as their Easter party. DS has been exceptionally calmer both Friday and today , so I'm wondering if it's that he just needs a break from school and being stuck indoors (cabin fever). We're going to try to get him out everyday even if its just a little time in the back yard or a walk around the block he likes to go bowling and to the mall, there is a mall about an hour away that has a ferris wheel and a merry go round in it, we have'nt gone there in a couple of years I almost forgot about it, to bad they close up the rainforest cafe that was in there. Hopefully doing some things he likes and the change of scenery and some down time will help. If he continues with the ripping I'll move on to plan B with the scheduled ripping times and see how goes. Thank you for all your advice and newspaper offers, when things get so crazy sometimes it's hard to think clearly and I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing for the situation or if it will make it worse. And my DH thinks the boards is just a lot talk about a mouse.

 

[casaazul]

Our psychiatrist helps us a lot with the extremes. Our ds is 12, with bipolar disorder. His issues are different but still difficult to deal with. I am a Special Ed teacher and I work with a number of Aspergers / autistic kiddos. I can understand your issue and I hope you can get through this time.

I vote for the let him rip during certain times. Use it to maybe make a collage of Disney stuff during your trip. Rip up the brochures, tickets, newspaper and paste them on a poster board. Make a mosaic or poster. Take some markers and have other kids "sign" the art. Could be really fun art project and an outlet for his anxiety.

Hope all goes well.