Discipline Techniques for Autistic Teens

Redirect Negative Behaviors

• Although a parent̵7;s intuition tells her that ignoring a problem will not dispel the problem, for parents of autistic teens, ignoring a negative behavior and redirecting it instead can be a useful disciplinary technique when used correctly. According to Clinical Child Psychologist Christine Williams, co-author of the book "How to Live with Autism and Asperger Syndrome," autistic teens are as susceptible to operant conditioning -- the laws of cause and effect -- as are other teens. But autistic teens are not as keen with social reasoning. An autistic teen who finds that slamming the cupboards leads to mom coming into the kitchen to give him food will make the connection that throwing a tantrum in the kitchen equals food. Break this connection by ignoring and redirecting the original action, indirectly teaching your teen that acting out in the kitchen is no longer the way to fill his belly.

Revoke Privileges

• The autistic part of your teen is only one small part of who he is, although it may impact nearly every aspect of his life. The rest of him is much like any other teen: He is probably seeking out more privileges. In his teen years, he likely has more freedom than he has ever had, and he would like to keep that freedom. When your teen acts out, respond by removing a privilege. He will make the connection between bad behavior and loss of privilege. Parents of non-autistic teens are already familiar with how effective this technique can be; that effectiveness can carry over to households with autistic teens.

Use Time-Outs

• As a parent of an autistic teen, you have a remarkable opportunity to successfully use time-outs on your child who is nearing adulthood, a near impossibility for parents of non-autistic teens. According to Williams, the purpose of the time-out is to remove your teen from the positive feelings provoked by a stimulus that is causing a problem. It is not to meant to send your child away in the name of getting a break for yourself. You don't want to send the message that he is not wanted in your space. Using a time-out in an appropriate manner tells your teen that his actions will no longer bring that feeling of positive reinforcement. For example, when your teen plays with the family dog, he might become increasingly rough. The responses of the dog, becoming correspondingly rough, might excite your teen. At a certain point, your teen̵7;s actions become misbehavior, such as if he hits the dog. At this point, you can send your teen to his room or to a quiet area in the home, showing him that hitting the dog and playing with the dog are two separate actions, one of which is inappropriate.

Overcorrection

• Overcorrection is a disciplinary technique that emphasizes a mistake in a strong way. A non-autistic teen, after making a mistake, can admit his mistake, correct it, and commit to never doing it again. This is not the case for autistic teens. According to Dr. Mohammad Ghaziuddin, author of the book "Mental Health Aspects of Autism and Asperger Syndrome," autistic teens usually do not recognize their mistakes. A parent of an autistic teen should make her teen overcorrect for his mistake by overemphasizing the correct action to the point at which the teen understands. For example, a teen who throws his pencil out of anger would have to pick up many displaced items, not just the pencil. The idea is that people should not throw things on the floor, whether they are pencils or other objects. Children̵7;s Mental Health Ontario points out that overcorrection is as effective of a technique as harsher punishments or disciplinary actions, making it crucial for a parent̵7;s toolbox.