Anything that is not as it "should" be can bring on a variety of reactions from tears to anger, especially when it is something that can't be fixed or restored to its original state. This is one of the hallmarks of autism. I try my best to redirect my son, but if all else fails, I will give him another cookie, or balloon, or crayon, as close to the original as I possibly can.
This causes problems academically, too. He once threw a tantrum because the teacher wrote the abbreviation "Oct." on the chalkboard instead of the whole word, "October." He had learned to spell it that way and simply would not accept any other spellings or abbreviations. He has a lot of fine motor difficulties and he can't draw the letters of the alphabet to exactly match the model, so he becomes upset and frustrated. He does not understand that no one expects his writing to be that perfect. Practicing writing skills on a word processor has helped him to go beyond the "perfect handwriting" phase.
He can't tolerate being "incorrect" when working math problems, and will stubbornly refuse to try rather than risk imperfection. This is where time and patience pay off. It is very important that progress be made in such small increments that success is guaranteed. He plays math "games" on our home computer, and it is very amusing to watch him get mad, but then settle down because the little math character refuses to argue with him.
Web Page Author: Janet Lawrence
Updated: 11/17/99
© Copyright Information
