Spitting In Kids with Autism?

 

What is Spitting?

A1: To force or throw eject (something) from the mouth: expectorate.

B1: To express (unpleasant or malicious feelings) by or as if spitting.

C1: To utter with a spitting sound or scornful expression like spat out his words.

 

How to Reduce Spitting in Kids with Autism?

Spitting behaviour in children with autism could be frustrating for the parent to deal with. Some children spit just for fun or to gain attention, while other spit to express their emotion like behaviour due to sensory needs. Children with autism tend to have this kind of behaviour, as they have communication difficulty or need speech therapy.

Some children use behavioural spitting as a self-defence action when they don’t like others to touch them and/or their things (e.g., toys).

 

How to respond to this behaviour, if the child does it for fun?

It is essential to analyse the reason for any behaviour the chid express. If they do it to gain attention, ignoring them will fade out the spitting behavior.

 

How to respond to the behaviour when expressed due to anger?

Do not react immediately, stay calm. Analise the reason with ws- Why, Where, When. Tell your child, it is no good or it’s bad behaviour. Make the chid clean his/her spit. Apply time out which would help the chid to calm down.Teach the possible ways of communication, for example, either to communicate using monosyllable word like “NO”,”, MOVE”,” GO” etc. or via hand gestures.

If the chid communicates appropriately then reinforce the good behaviour.

How to respond to the behavior when expressed due to sensory need?

A sensory assessment by an occupational therapist or a speech therapist is made to rule out the exact cause of the behaviour. Then as per therapist advice, providing oral stimulation along with few activities will help the child to control and stop the spitting behaviour.

SOME OF THE ACTIVITES, WE USE AT CENTIRE: -

·      Chewy tubes

·      Blowing Balloons

·      Blowing bubbles

·      Using straws of variable sizes to drink

·      Chewy and chunky foods

·      Lollipops (if suggest by doctor and therapist)

·      Blow painting

·      Blow thermacol or cotton balls into a hole.

 

How do you teach an autistic child to spit?

Have him learn to put the ball in his mouth and then “spit” it out to drop it into the sink. That might work to teach him the concept of “spitting”

Reward him for spitting in ways that make sense to him. If he can begin to understand the concept, then maybe he will be able to generalize it to spitting out.

Read more: Speech therapist in Ludhiana 

 

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