10 Ways to Keep Yourself Safe if Your Child with Autism is Aggressive
Does your child, teen, or adult with autism have meltdowns and distressed behaviors, and become aggressive to you, their siblings, and other family members? For the longer term, you want to work out why your child is being aggressive, and what the triggers are, so that you can implement practical strategies to help them from becoming overwhelmed.
To become a behavior detective you should ask yourself these questions when your child or teen with autism begins to become aggitated:
Are they having a meltdown because of sensory overload?
Are they tired, or hungry, or unwell?
Are they trying to get you to give them something they want?
Do they want a big reaction from you?
If you’ve already asked yourself these questions, and spent time observing your child or teen with autism, and you are still confused about the causes of their aggressive behaviors, check out the Autism Crisis Turnaround.
To keep yourself and other family members safe, particulary your other kids, right now, while you work out what is causing your child with autism’s aggression, here are 10 practical steps to help you do that:
Think about your clothes - baggy clothes are harder to grab. Long sleeves & gloves can protect your arms & hands. Denim is tougher than other fabrics so it can reduce bruising from nips & bites
Wear shoes you can run in - our kids with autism are fast so you want to be able to move quickly without tripping. Canvas shoes can be safer than slippers if you want to move backward fast.
Keep your distance,and don’t get in their face- the longer your kid’s arms & legs, the further back you need to be. If your child is good at throwing, keep out of range of flying objects (and don’t keep hard objects sitting around your house where they might get them).
Think about your exit route. When your child begins to get upset/agitated and you think this can lead to aggression, slowly and calmly position yourself between them and the door to make sure you can get out of the room quickly & safely if need be.
Defend yourself from punches and kicks with a large martial arts kick pad. You want one with a handle on the back that you can keep a good grip of.
Pet gates are taller than baby gates and can be used to keep rooms or areas of your house safe for siblings. If your child can open them, drill a hole through the plastic cover/handle & use a combination padlock.
If you know your child is safe, but they want a big reaction for hurting you and/or their siblings, then walk away, don’t comment or react, and leave your child to calm down.
If you’re not able to avoid getting hurt, try really hard not to give them a big reaction.
If your child is aggressive in the car, make sure they are in the back seat. Purchase a set of clear screens used in police cars and taxis.
Have a Plan B. Try to think ahead and have emergency plans & routines in place so that your other kids know what to do if your child becomes aggressive.
Check out these helpful resources:
I hope the information here helps keeps you, your family and your loved one with autism safe!
Kirsten
P.S. If you have any questions about this post or about any of my resources, I’d love to hear from you! You can reach me at kirsten@curriculumforautism.com
Are you a parent of a child, teen or young adult with severe/profound autism? Join my Parent Support Group
Are you a teacher or homeschool parent of kids with autism? Join my Education Support group for classroom and homeschool advice & support!
