how to deal with outbursts?
my daughter is three years old and has been recently diagnosed with autism. she’s never thrown a tantrum in her life and is very quiet and just overall a sweet little girl. however recently I’ve noticed in moments of frustration, exhaustion or just feeling overwhelmed she’ll grab my face really hard whether it’s my mouth, nose or cheeks. what can I do when she does this to show her it’s not okay apart from saying no? she’s non verbal and doesn’t really understand instructions or any words. I still obviously say no and put her hands down so she can see I’m not okay with this but she still continues to do it everyday. Thank you all x
Hiya hun, my son does the same thing and he’s autistic and non verbal, he’s 6 years old and only just starting to attempt to have proper conversation and he still struggles to form sentences. I hope you find it comforting to know that when your daughter does this she’s not doing it to hurt you but she’s doing it as an impulse/ form of expression. She’s just showing you love, my sons been doing it for years and o don’t stop him as it’s part of his sensory, they don’t know how to form the words to express how their feeling so they do this to get those impulses out. You are right she is trying to let her frustration out but it’s not necessarily towards you and us as moms get it more than the dads because we are naturally their nurturer. I wouldn’t rush to telling her it’s naughty as that may make her feel as though she can’t express herself and the last thing you want is her pushing herself backwards. Instead try and ask her what’s wrong or suggesting toys o things she’s use to playing