The Kid with Sticky Hands

 

Ah, this little 5-year old kid with Autism.

I wonder what goes on in his little head.

It was an everyday battle because he didn't like his little sticky hands to be wiped or washed after eating pancakes full of syrup! That's the only thing he eats at breakfast, and mom said he wouldn't eat it without syrup.

After weeks of struggle, the solution came one day while I served him his pancakes. I hid the syrup! Haha. Problem solved! :)

But now, after eating his breakfast, he'd leave his seat without his backpack! 

The other day, he started by picking up his backpack after we left it on the floor, and he pulled my arms to make me carry his bag! I raised my arms and told him, "No, you need to carry it!"

He got frustrated and threw the bag when I wouldn't do it for him. Obviously, at home, his parents carry his bag for him. And it's a routine he was not used to doing.

The other issue is since he's non-verbal, he'd hit too!

He'd hit because he doesn't want to follow the directions, doesn't want you to tell him what to do, and doesn't care about his backpack!

How did we solve it? We have not solved it YET. Haha.

Well, another teacher shouted at him the other day to make him do what he was supposed to do. He saw the teacher as an authority, so he reluctantly picked up the bag (after multiple reprimands) and ran towards the room carrying his bag. Once inside the room, the next challenge was to make him put his backpack on the hanger. Haha.

Today, he hit the assistant a few times for making him carry his backpack. After a couple of reprimands, knowing it was a losing battle for him, he threw his bag away, and we asked him to pick it up. He'd pick it up grudgingly, and before we could finish saying, "Good job for carrying your bag," he'd throw it away again! (Until we were by his classroom!) Haha.

This Monday, he doesn't want me to touch his bag. I assumed he didn't want to eat breakfast. So I let it be. He had his backpack on his shoulders, and walking to the classroom was no big deal! Ah, no dull moment with him!

Tomorrow... another story will unfold.

Any thoughts on solving this behavior problem?