Kaylynn Johnsen
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Comfort: self-harm, stimming, and ritual.

4/16/2020

14 Comments

 
Autism from a mama who has been there. I am going to try to post every day this month. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments.

Comfort: self-harm, stimming, and ritual.

Young children don't know why they feel the way they do. And some times they feel too much. The world is full of stimulation, we automatically block most of it out, but autistic kids have to be taught how to do that in healthy ways.

Before that happens, autistic kids usually come up with their own ways, unhealthy ways.

Self-harm: the child intentionally hurts his/her self. This flood of controlled stimulation temporarily blocks out all other stimuli. Running into walls, head banging, biting, scratching, are common; be aware that these are all forms of self-harm. You may need professional help to treat the damage and to help your child end these behaviors.

Stimming, although not physically harmful, is another unhealthy coping mechanism. The child focuses their complete attention on a repetitive motion blocking out all other stimuli. Hand flapping, turning in circles, nodding, and clapping are disruptive and can block out crucial situational information. Fire, traffic, and other potentially dangerous situations need to be the focus. As overwhelming as situational awareness can be, it is a vital life skill.

Ritual, almost everyone has some form of ritualistic behavior. From a kiss goodbye to saying "bless you" when someone sneezes, most ritual action doesn't interfere with the function of everyday life. You want to pay attention to your autistic child's rituals. Is the routine becoming more complicated? Does not performing the ritual prevent further movement, freezing your child in their tracks? Are there unhealthy ideas associated with doing or not doing the method? The earlier you can catch harmful ritualistic behavior, the easier it is to stop it and redirect.

Autism is a family disability, and you need all eyes on deck. Working together, you can keep that wall from building itself back up because it will try. Break that wall down and keep it down because your child is worth it.

Celebrate the small stuff. Be flexible. Laugh.
14 Comments
Patricia A Gardner
4/16/2020 09:12:26 am

Thanks. This was really informative. Could you please give some examples of ritualistic behaviors in autistic children? Thanks.

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Kaylynn Johnsen
4/17/2020 04:21:09 pm

I have a post dedicated to ritual behavior coming next week!

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Kaylynn Johnsen
4/16/2020 09:14:19 am

Thank you for the idea. I will dedicate a post to it next week.

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Kaetlyn Kelly
4/16/2020 09:46:26 am

❤️❤️❤️

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Kim Kirkpatrick
4/16/2020 12:53:45 pm

I agree in that autism, in every spectrum is most difficult in learning any emotion and having self control is minimal. Emotion itself and how it is controlled with autism would be the ritual itself. The stimming, the yeowling, the tantrums. All because autism mind needs to be redirected and medicated on a consistant basis.

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Kaylynn Johnsen
4/17/2020 04:22:20 pm

It is a dance where are the parts are in constant motion.

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Nicole Bay
4/16/2020 04:04:48 pm

This was really interesting. Thank you! I'm curious about stimming--I'd never heard of it before. When the child focuses on a repetitive motion, does it need to be her own? Or can it be a repetitive motion of an object or another person?

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Kaylynn Johnsen
4/17/2020 04:24:48 pm

That is a great question and I appreciate your asking. I will be writing a post dedicated to stimming next week. There is one coming with a focus on ritual and I realized when I mentioned his belly-button that I needed to spend more time on stimming.

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Shannyn Jordan
4/16/2020 04:57:33 pm

Thanks for this information. As a mom facing a perhaps milder form of autism, it's been difficult for me to discover her stimming behaviors. Sometimes they're obvious, hitting her arms on things. But sometimes I just can't narrow it down.

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Kaylynn Johnsen
4/17/2020 04:27:36 pm

Your daughter is very verbal try asking her what the outcome is of a specific action. If she can't articulate try to observe what happens next. Does she calm down? Does she get more animated? Is she masking a different pain by hitting her arms?

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Valerie
4/16/2020 05:59:49 pm

Wow, I’m pretty sure my nephew does some of these things. I’d be interested to know more and how to manage. Sometimes feels like I’m the “expert” in the family and I don’t consider myself an expert in any way. Would love to share your posts with my family.

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Kaylynn Johnsen
4/17/2020 04:28:54 pm

Please do. That is why we have experiences so that we can share what we learn and help others. You have my permission to share in anyway you'd like.

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Cecilia
4/16/2020 10:20:04 pm

This is such a great way to learn for those of us that need to know but are not sure what to ask. Thanks for sharing your story.

Reply
Kaylynn Johnsen
4/17/2020 04:30:08 pm

I am happy to share, help, and inform. We are all in this life together.

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    Kaylynn Johnsen

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