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How Can Families Help Their Loved Ones with Autism Manage Their Anger Effectively?
When a child or teenager with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experiences intense anger, it can be overwhelming for both them and their caregivers. This intensity can also sometimes pose challenges to authority figures and peers.
Anger episodes in children with autism can disrupt routines, impact social interactions, and create obstacles to maintaining a peaceful and supportive environment at home and in community settings.
In the worst circumstances, anger in individuals with autism may result in dangerous behaviors that can be hard to manage without the appropriate support.
For some, everyday activities, like a quick trip to the grocery store or dining out, can feel overwhelming due to their child’s behaviors related to anger. Over time, this can be taxing on the entire family and even make some feel unsafe.
Many ask: How can families help their loved ones with autism manage their anger effectively?
Evidence-based therapy approaches like ABA or applied behavior analysis support many with autism in regulating emotions like anger while not silencing their needs. ABA professionals accomplish this by empowering their clients with new skills.
Communication skills, for example, ensure ASD individuals, both speaking and not, can describe their discomfort without resorting to expressing problematic behaviors.
This guide by ABA Centers of Virginia explores the connection between autism and anger. We will also offer helpful ABA tips that help many neurodiverse families manage their neurodivergent child’s anger episodes without ignoring their needs.
So, keep reading if you’re a parent, caregiver, or autism ally seeking effective ways to approach intense emotions like anger in those on the spectrum.
To learn more about ABA Centers of Virginia, click here. To read our other blogs about ABA and ABA tips for parents or neurodiversity, click here.
Understanding Anger in Children with Autism
First, it’s essential to recognize that anger is a natural emotion everyone experiences. It often serves as a critical indicator of unmet needs or distress.
Sometimes, children with autism experience anger for various reasons. Often, these reasons may be different from those of their neurotypical peers and show up in unique ways.
Common expressions of anger in autism include but are not limited to:
- Aggression
- Outbursts or tantrums
- Self-injurious behavior
- Shutdowns or meltdowns
- Self-injury
- Property destruction
- Repetitive behaviors
4 Common Triggers of Anger in Children with Autism
The following describes some common triggers that may lead to anger in children with autism:
1. Difficulty Expressing Needs
According to the National Autistic Society, communication barriers can make it hard for children with autism to express themselves.
When their needs go unmet due to miscommunication, their frustration and other challenging emotions can build up. Unfortunately, these feelings can make it even harder for them to communicate and get their needs met.
2. Sensory Sensitivities
Many individuals with autism experience heightened sensitivities to stimuli. Stimuli, like loud noises, bright lights, or certain textures, can be challenging for some on the spectrum to process, leading to feelings of anger.
Prolonged exposure to discomfort can lead to further agitation in many who experience sensory sensitivities.
3. Rigid Thinking or a Need for Predictability
Predictability provides a sense of safety and control for many individuals on the spectrum. In some instances, when predictability is not established or gets disrupted, ASD individuals may experience intense anger.
For example, when afternoon plans change unexpectedly, a child may feel as though their entire week is in upheaval.
4. Emotion Regulation Challenges
Self-regulating emotions is a skill many individuals with autism must work to develop.
Anger may intensify at times not because it’s unwarranted but because self-soothing mechanisms are not yet available to the person. In other cases, the person isn’t employing them.
Fortunately, recognizing these factors helps caregivers to understand what drives frustration in their child with ASD, paving the way toward more effective strategies that support them across life.
How ABA Can Help with Anger Episodes in Those on the Autism Spectrum
ABA therapy focuses on identifying the purpose of a client’s behaviors and then finding a safe way for them to access it.
Through this approach, ABA professionals work closely with children, families, and caregivers to create a personalized ABA plan that targets skills related to managing anger. ABA is especially beneficial if the ASD person’s anger causes them to engage in dangerous behaviors in response.
For instance, ABA professionals may teach the child to take deep breaths instead of screaming if they don’t immediately enjoy food. They may also instruct a child on how to request a break when a task becomes frustrating instead of kicking others in avoidance.
In many cases, these ABA professionals will focus on teaching skills when the child is not experiencing anger so they can use it when the emotions get heavy with practice.
8 ABA Strategies for Caregivers Helping Loved Ones on the Spectrum Navigate Anger
Here are some simple ABA tips that parents and caregivers can use to help their child with autism better manage their anger episodes:
1. Identify Triggers:
Pay attention to what may trigger your child’s anger episodes. It could be a specific environment or activity that causes discomfort. Once identified, work hard to minimize the trigger, avoid it, or address it effectively.
2. Use Visual Supports:
Visual aids, like picture cards or visual schedules, can help children with autism better understand expectations while reducing potential upset. If they work for your ASD loved one, try to use them whenever possible.
3. Teach Coping Skills:
Work with an ABA therapist to teach your child appropriate coping skills like counting to ten or playing with a special fidget when they experience intense anger.
4. Be Consistent:
Consistency is crucial in ABA therapy. Ensure that the strategies and techniques used by therapists to manage anger are also implemented at home and across other settings.
5. Practice Patience and Understanding:
Remember that managing anger takes time for individuals with autism. Practicing patience and understanding can go a long way in supporting their progress and modeling appropriate responses to life stressors.
6. Use Positive Reinforcement:
Praise and reward positive behavior in your child, like when you notice them managing their anger calmly and appropriately. Doing so reinforces this more suitable response in the future.
7. Set Expectations Around Change and Transitions:
Prepare children for transitions or changes in routine by providing easy, straightforward expectations you can repeat to limit their anxiety and anger.
For example, “You have ten more minutes to play before it’s time to leave the park.”
8. Encourage Emotional Awareness:
Try to help your child identify, label, and express their emotions whenever possible.
Helping Children Manage the Anger Episodes in Children with Autism Is Possible!
Managing anger in someone with autism is a shared effort between parents, therapists, and communities.
Fortunately, with the help of ABA therapy and by applying practical strategies at home, loved ones can support those on the spectrum in developing essential skills for emotional regulation that include managing intense anger.
So, never stop advocating or finding better ways to support those on the spectrum to experience better days! Happy learning!
Supporting Children Struggling with Intense Anger and More with ABA Centers of Virginia
At ABA Centers of Virginia, our team of ABA specialists offers personalized ABA care and expert ASD support to our incredible clients and their caregivers.
Through innovative ABA programming, we help guide those on the ASD spectrum to learn new skills and achieve milestones in fun and engaging ways.
If you’re ready to explore how ABA therapy can benefit your young loved one on the spectrum, contact us today via this link or by calling us at (855) 957-1892.
At ABA Centers of Virginia, we can help those on the ASD spectrum live more fulfilling lives and manage their emotions appropriately, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us for support.
