Jonathon has been a cycler for as long as I can remember. We see an increase in aggression in the Fall and the Spring. What I have just become aware of, or been able to see the pattern of, is when Jonathon is not in the cycle of increased aggression we have an increase in obsessive behaviors. His verbal stimming/echolalia (obsessively repeating parts of movie phrases) increases significantly.
I know he's trying to regulate himself but why the cycling? It's either on the edge of blowing to full blow ups or the verbal stimming, which can lead to safety concerns. He gets into such a "zone" when he's verbally stimming that I've had to run and grab him before he was hit by a car in a parking lot. He completely blocks out the world while stimming. He will plug his ears so he can't hear anything else around him.
I'm hoping that once we start working with the autism specialists out of Denver they will be able to help pinpoint more of the "why" of his cycling. We've been able to identify his cycles, but now we want to know how to help him regulate himself in a more consistent manner.
The verbal stimming is obviously the better option compared to the physical aggression. I just worry about his safety while he is blocking out the world in order to cope.
It can be very puzzling trying to figure out the "whys" of autism!
Vickie - Love your blog. Question. Would the "cycling" be to autistice people what SAD disorder is to other people? Ie.... seasonally caused because of the lesser amounts of sunlight available or is that a dumb question??? Obviously, I don't know anything about autism and you have educated me tremendously through FB and your blog. Love ya. Lorie (Heinen)
ReplyDeleteLorie,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure. I think it could be related to the changing of the seasons. I have thought about getting a barometer to see if there is any link to that. It could also school related. Jonathon started intense schooling at age three. He hated every minute of school, so we've had 18 years for his behaviors to set in. Fall being the start of school, Winter he's settled into the idea of school, but by Spring he's had it and ready for it to be over. If it is due to the school cycle, even though he's now done with school, it could take awhile to change those 18 years of behaviors. I have thought about a "grow light" (haha) to see if it is related to the Seasonal Affect Disorder. Or... it could be he, for whatever reason, he isn't able to block out the world as much during those times, but that still leads to "why?"