We all have routines. In the morning you may wake up, take a
shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, and leave for school or
work. You may do
those things in that exact order every morning. If one morning you should happen to
brush your teeth before eating breakfast, it would probably be no big
deal. However, to the
person on the Spectrum, a slight change in routine could prove to be a
catastrophic event.
Autistics crave routine,
ritual, and sameness. It
makes the world right and predictable. Any
disruption to the person’s routine may result in an unusual and highly charged
reaction. The more warning
of an impending change, the better chance there is that the person with ASD
will adjust with little to no problems. The
same is true for transitioning from one activity to another. However, since Autism is a SPECTRUM
disorder, there are some cases where no amount of warning is enough.
Other behaviors that those with
Autism may exhibit include what are known as “stimming” behaviors. Examples of these behaviors are
rocking, hand flapping, tapping, spinning, and even licking objects. Some self-injurious behaviors are
self-biting, head banging, and fist pounding.
Behaviors that seem milder but
can be just as detrimental are perfectionism and obsessions. Perfectionism makes it hard for the
person to complete simple tasks, such as handwriting, until they are completely
satisfied. They may
spend minutes on a task that would typically take a person seconds to complete. Lining objects up in a certain
way is another trait of those on the Spectrum. Often the person with Autism may
become obsessed on certain objects or subjects. While fascinating and satisfying to
the person, this behavior is often perceived “annoying” to others. It is important that the NT
person demonstrate patience and inform the person of this behavior in a
nonjudgmental manner.
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