One of the common features of autism spectrum disorders is behavior problems. The behavioral issues tend to affect the person directly and indirectly regarding social connections. The Mayo Clinic indicates that a need for rituals is a significant concern in children with autism. Often the behaviors appear as obsessions with objects, orderliness and lining up, or odd movements. When the rituals are disturbed this can lead to aggressive behavior, temper tantrums, crying or distress upon the child.
Body Movements
Repetitive body movements is one behavior characteristic common in autism. Often described as "odd" behaviors, these movements may include: arm flapping, repetitive hand clapping, body rocking, walking on tip-toes or excessive spinning in circles. Head-banging is one of the severe movements that may present in autism and this can be detrimental to the health of the child. The body movements can be present at any time and do not necessarily signify a certain mood. The child might be agitated, happy, nervous or relaxed and begin engaging in repetitive body movements. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) indicates that these behaviors may occur as a means for unconscious efforts at integrating the hemispheres in the brain but may also be a result of damage in the corpus callosum of the brain.
Ritual Behaviors
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), autistic children need and demand consistency, leading to ritualistic behavior displays. The ritualistic behaviors may be described as obsessions and compulsions due to the disturbance to the child when the rituals are interrupted. Rituals may come in the form of counting objects, preoccupation with parts of a toy, collecting items or routines in daily activity. Outsiders might witness these behaviors as seeming bizarre; however, for the person with autism, these behaviors are essential for preventing distress. Although a certain amount of routine in daily life is functional, in a person with autism, it is considered extreme. The Mayo Clinic, however, indicates that treatment may assist with teaching functional use for some of the ritual behaviors.
Behavioral Challenges
Temper tantrums may be a behavioral challenge present in autism. The challenge is typically how to deal with the tantrum versus the tantrum itself, because it can also be displayed at any time. The tantrum is often a sign of communication and may indicate an emotional distress in the child with autism. The NINDS describes tantrums as often being a result of cognitive difficulty in processing information in addition to a means for the child to communicate a need. Tantrums may come in subtle forms such as crying or anger, but also may be severe and self injurious such as throwing, biting or kicking.
