Is it normal for a NON autistic child to model the behavior of an autistic child? If so how do I reverse that?

Question

I have a 6 year old niece who is autistic. It seems the younger 4 year old sibling is modeling the autistic behavior. What can I do at this point to reverse that and is this normal?

Answer 1

I've seen this happen in my classroom and with my nephews who happen to be the same ages.  

When it happens in my classroom, I redirect the behavior.  For instance, if a child sees another child "stimming" (ex. flapping arms) and I know they are only imitating another student I tell them to stop and I'll put their arms down or tell them to put their hands in their lap or on the side of their body (It just depends if we are standing, sitting or playing).

At the time, I worked with preschool students so I would use sign language to say "No, you stop" and this would work with the student in question.

As for the 4-year old, I would recommend talking to them and saying it is not nice to imitate their sister while saying this is something she can't help doing while you can.  Hopefully your brother or sister will be consistent with following through on this when you are not around.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

due to it being a younger sibling who is doing the mimicing id say it is normal. children learn from those around them including older siblings.

You could possibly reverse this by explaining to the child that what her sister is doing is specific to her and that she needs help with things including behaviour, and suggest to both children that the younger child helps the older one

Answer 3

I've seen it happen. If the younger sibling isn't aware that what their sister does is wrong, then it's time to have a talk with the sibling and explain to them about autism and that sometimes their sister will do stuff that is not appropriate, but she can't help it. They, on the other hand, can help it, so not to copy it.

Younger siblings often mimic older ones regardless, so don't worry too much. But if the younger sibling already understands, it may be that they are jealous and then you need to start giving the younger sibling consequences and explaining each time that they are two different people and will not be treated the same way.

Answer 4

It is human nature to mimic those around you. Think of how you learned how to do things as a child; by watching those around you. I would first educate the little one about autism and why he is doing the hings he is doing. Get the book "My Friend with Autism" it talks about autism in a very kid friendly way. You could also write a social story for her about appropriate behaviors. Visit this link. It will give you more info on writing a social stories

http://www.thegraycenter.org/store/index...

I have found social stories to be highly effective with typical developing kids as well as special needs kids (especially if you make them or someone they know a character in the story).