Cycles

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!