My son may have autism, do I still punish bad behavior the same?

Question

My son has always been pretty distruptive and I would punish him with time outs and taking away treats but should the same punishments be used if he has this disabilty?

Answer 1

Just the fact that you're asking this on YA and not speaking to a doctor proves that you are a complete idiot.

Answer 2

Autism will make it a bit more difficult, but yes you should discipline him.  It may have to be done differently given he does have a behavioral disorder.  Depending on the severity is what you should base the discipline on.  If he will never have the mental capacity past a two year old, then techniques tailored for a toddler will be the best approach.  If he is capable of learning and his mind can grow with his age, then use the same techniques you would use for any child that age, but be patient with him as you will probably have to do more explaining to him and it may be harder for him to focus.  Be consistent and be firm and loving.  I wish you the best!

Children with autism are some of the brightest, most intelligent children on the planet, but their communication methods are just simply different and more complex.

Answer 3

I have a 9 year old brother who has autism but there is different levels of autism my brother is sooo smart and has come along way and we treat him like anybody else and take stuff away and he knows that he has to behave or he gets punished but like any other kid he still is a brat sometimes lol .....but you should consult doctors and specialists to see how your son is and how you should do things with him but that will probably come to you since he is your son and you love him....good luck  

Answer 4

How old is your son ?

When will you know if you're son does have autism ?

Thomas was diagnosed with severe autism at aged 3 and as for the punishment i would say NO but saying this it depends on how severe he is affected by autism, We do not punish Thomas because he has NO understanding of spanking or sitting on time out, BUT we do try and explain how he has done wrong but we do not know how much he takes in because he is non verbal, when you get a formal diagnoses you will be given coping methods on how to deal with different behaviors and coping techniques for this

Best of luck

Answer 5

Yes.  He needs to be treated as much like a normal child as possible.  Many parents make the mistake of not disciplining their disabled children, thus producing spoiled brat adults.   A smack on the butt when needed is also good, even with a disabled child.  Children, disabled or not, do learn from a smack on the butt now and then.  Like when an autistic child runs out in the street, or something else that needs IMMEDIATE discipline.

I see this in my line of work a lot.  Some of my work is dealing with disabled individuals who have tantrums, like a normal person would who's never been disciplined.

Answer 6

No, if he has autism then punishments probably won't be effective and could actually be bad for him. Autistic children often don't understand normal punishments and don't see the connection between doing something and being punished for it. Instead, they often see it as mommy being bad to them for no apparent reason and they get stressed from not being able to predict when or why mommy is bad to them and they just get upset instead of learning from it. Of course it varies between individuals and the severity of autism though.

Your son needs to see a specialist to find out whether he does in fact have autism. If he has it, then the specialist should be able to guide you with better alternatives than punishments. You need to teach him discipline, but you need to do it in different ways than with other children.

Answer 7

YES. He has a behavioural disorder but it will be *alot worse* if you don't give him firm & consistant disipline. Time outs & taking away privilages are good forms to teach him self-disipline....and may I suggest some housework chores aswell. It is not impossible for a child with autism to behave well, It's just harder to teach them. Make sure he has a good organized daily schedule aswell. Good luck.

Answer 8

Anyone who tries to say yes or no is someone with a very limited knowledge of autism.

It is very difficult even for people working with a child on regular basis to decide when to punish & when not to.

The people who think they can answer without knowing your child are people who think all autistic kids are the same.

They are not!

My niece is autistic & sometimes she gets punished & sometimes not.  Depends on the situation.

But unless your child is very high-functioning, I would say it is very important that the consequenses be pretty immediate.  It is problaby not a good idea to wait till you get home & sit him down in time out for the tantrum he threw in the store.

Answer 9

Ask his doctor.

Answer 10

Yes. Even though he has autism he should still be punished for doing something naughty (unless he sincerely can't help what he's doing, like a screech out in public or something).