| How to Redirect an Autistic Child's Harmful Stims Posted: 18 Aug 2018 01:00 AM PDT Do you have a child whose stims cause bodily injury, destruction, or other legitimately negative consequences? This wikiHow will help you learn how to redirect that energy compassionately and effectively. Autistic teens and adults with this problem should read How to Replace Harmful Stims. EditEvaluating the Stim Redirecting stims may be an exhausting task for autistic kids. It's important only to take action when the stim causes actual harm. - Consider whether the stim is actually harmful. Just because a stim is a little odd or noticeable doesn't mean that it's a bad stim. A stim is bad if it fulfills one or more of these criteria:
- Does it cause physical harm? (biting, head-banging)
- Does it pose a health risk? (placing objects in the mouth, spinning until she falls down)
- Does it make a mess or destroy things? (ripping paper)
- Does it violate others' personal space? (playing with their hair without permission)
- Does the autistic child say they want to change the stim?
- Do not attempt to stop stims because they look weird. As a parent, teacher, or educator, it's understandable to be worried about autistic children being bullied. However, modifying the child's behavior for this reason sends the message that bullying is the natural consequence of looking different, and it is their fault for failing to be normal. It is the bullies who need the behavior change, not their victim.
- Spend part of a day teaching students what autism is, and how to be supportive and helpful.
- As a teacher, take bullying very seriously (in all forms, for all victims).
- Cultivate an atmosphere of respect for individual differences. Children will model their behavior after yours.
- Consider whether it is worth the energy to redirect. Teaching takes time and effort. It can be even more effort for the autistic child, if the new stim doesn't work quite as well. Trying to redirect too many stims can harm their self-esteem and ability to focus. Save serious interventions for serious cases.
EditUnderstanding the Stim Once you've determined that the stim causes legitimate harm, it's time to figure out (1) what need it fulfills and (2) what other stims fulfill the same need. - Figure out what triggers the stim. What circumstances arise before the child begins stimming? Keep a journal tracking each instance. Here are some examples. (Keep in mind that possibilities are not limited to this list.)
- Boredom/sensory seeking
- Frustration
- Hunger
- Fear or pain
- Consider what need the child is trying to address. Stimming is a tool. Talk to the child about it if you can, or draw hypotheses based on your log. Here are a few example possibilities:
- Pain management
- Sensory seeking (heavy work, touch, vestibular, etc.)
- Release of pain or emotion
- Cry for help or attention
- Go to the autistic community. There is a group of experienced people who know exactly how these stims work—autistic adults. Try reading blogs and reaching out through the #AskAnAutistic hashtag.
- Read lists of stims.
- Read from autistic adults who had the same stims. What did they use as replacements? Did the replacements work?
- Draw up a list of alternative ways to fulfill the need. The child can try these out and use the ones that work best.
- For a heavy work sensory seeker, try wall push-ups, lifting heavy objects, and grasping the hands and pulling the elbows away from each other.
- For a biter, get gum, candy, and chewy jewelry.
- For a head-banger, try heavy work, hitting their fist or head against couch cushions, or hitting their head against a glider rocker.
EditTalking to the Child - Take the child aside and explain your feelings about their harmful stim. Make it clear why this stim is not a good one, so that they recognize that there is a good reason for them to stop. Then propose your suggestions.
- For example, "It worries me when I see you hitting your head like that. You could hurt yourself. I'm sure it's not fun for you either. What if you tried punching pillows, or hitting your head against couch cushions instead?"
- Many nonverbal children can understand spoken words, even if they look inattentive. Explain it even if you aren't sure that they can understand.
- Have a dialogue about the stim. Ask your child if they have any ideas for replacement stims, and what they think would help them use the harmful stim less. If their ideas are incorporated into the plan, it helps them feel ownership of the process.
- "Do you think chewy jewelry would help?" "Would you like to help me pick out some jewelry from the website?"
- "This is the list of ideas I wrote. What do you think? Should we add or change anything?"
- "Let's go to the store this afternoon, and you can pick out the stim toys you want to try."
- Talk about how you can help. Your support can help the child transition to a better coping mechanism. For example, if your son puts objects in his mouth, and the two of you decide that gum is better, he may not have gum on hand all the time. Make it clear that whenever he wants gum, all he needs to do is ask, and you'll give it to him.
- Discuss prevention for stims that only arise under distress. For example, if your student hits herself when she's upset, talk to her about what makes her so upset, and what you can do to help. Maybe she can't handle noisy classrooms, or she's struggling with English, or she has an underlying condition that's giving her headaches. Address the underlying problem and the bad stim may disappear.
- Give gentle reminders if you notice them using the harmful stim again. They may use the stim unconsciously, forget about the alternatives, et cetera. Speak patiently so that they know you aren't mad at them. Ask them what they should do, or remind them what they should do.
- "LeBron, is that food? Does it belong in your mouth?" "What belongs in your mouth?"
- "What do we do when we want to play with hair?"
- "Remember, when we want to spin, we stop before we get dizzy. Your trampoline is right over there if spinning isn't enough."
- "Honey, you're hurting your head."
- Be compassionate if they are upset. Autistic children may revert to harmful stims if they are under large amounts of stress. Use a very patient tone of voice, and ask as little of them as possible to avoid further stressing them. If they are in danger of harming themselves, give a gentle reminder. Otherwise, choose to remind them once they're calm or just let it slide.
- "Julie, I understand you're upset and hurting. Why don't we put a pillow between your hands and your head so you don't injure yourself?"
- "Please don't bite yourself. Here's your stress ball and chewy toy. Would you like to take one?"
- "Rosario, I saw that you were hitting yourself this morning. You seemed very upset, and I was worried about you. Would you like to talk about what happened?"
- Avoid grabbing or crowding them, as they may panic and lash out.
- Congratulate them when they successfully use the new stim or ask for help. While they probably understand why they should do it, a little encouragement from you never hurts. It will help them remember to keep working on it, feel proud of their progress, and use healthy stims to keep everyone happy and safe.
- "LeBron, I'll get you a carrot right away. Thank you for asking."
- "Rosario, I'm glad that you told me that the classroom was too loud as soon as it started bothering you. You didn't hit yourself once! Feel free to come to me any time you're getting really upset."
- "Julie, I just wanted to say how brave and strong you were, head-butting the couch cushions today instead of punching yourself. You did a wonderful job handling your frustration, and I'm proud of you."
- "Alison, thank you for biting your chewy necklace instead of your hand. Let me know if you want any gum to chew if you get tired of your necklace."
EditPositive Lifestyle The right lifestyle can help an autistic child adapt well to the world and live a happy life. - Give your child plenty of exercise. Activity can help boost mood, improve general health, and moderate the need to stim. Try taking walks, swinging, hiking, climbing, swimming, biking, and whatever the autistic child might enjoy.
- Offer plenty of positive stimming activities. Stimming is important to your child's sense of well-being. Here are some items you can keep around the house for them to interact with:
- Beanbag chair
- Swing
- Fidget toys (tangles, stress balls, and more)
- Floor trampoline
- Lava lamps and fans to watch
- Protect your child from anti-autism influences. Some therapists will try to force compliance, extinguish stimming, or do other things that harm your child. Only take your child to therapy that they enjoy (or at minimum, feel neutral towards). Make it clear to other adults that your child's differences are to be respected.
- ABA therapy can be dangerous, particularly if done by providers who aren't careful in their approach. Be cautious about compliance-based therapies, as they may harm more than they help.
- Steer your child away from negative or unkind people. If your child is mistreated, talk to them and explain that what happened wasn't okay and the child didn't deserve it.
- Autism cannot be cured or ethically suppressed. If someone is claiming that they can do this, beware.
- Work on your child's strengths too. Encourage their special interests and other abilities. Find ways to make them feel competent and talented. Growing up is not only about improving one's weaknesses, but building upon one's strengths.
- Keep communication open. Honor all the child's communication attempts—speech, typing and other forms of AAC, gestures, body language, and behavior. Paying attention to the child's communication encourages them to communicate more. Help them learn to recognize their needs and ask for help when they need it.
- Practice patience. Your child faces many everyday struggles that non-disabled people never have to worry about. If you were in their situation, you'd cry and melt down too. Treat them with compassion, and presume competence, and treat them like they want to behave well.
- Shower them with love. Your child is a person with feelings. Show that you care about them (including the autistic parts of them), and that they are not a burden or tragedy in your eyes. Your acceptance and love are what they need most of all.
- If the replacement stim isn't working very well, it may be that it doesn't address the underlying need. Go back to researching and observing.
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| How to Dispose of Cooking Oil Posted: 17 Aug 2018 05:00 PM PDT Some of the best foods are made with cooking oil, but cooking oil can be a mess to clean up. Once the oil has cooled, decide if you want to throw it away, reuse it, or donate it. Store the cooking oil in a sealable container before you toss it in the trash, set it out for curbside pick up, or drop it at a local restaurant for recycling. For proper disposal, remember to keep the oil out of your sink. EditPutting Oil in the Trash - Cool the cooking oil before you handle it. To reduce the risk of accidentally burning yourself, let the cooking oil cool completely before you dispose of it. Never lift heavy pots full of hot oil or pour the hot oil into the trash. Depending on how much hot oil you have, you may need to wait a few hours for it to cool.[1]
- If you have to, you can leave the oil out overnight so it comes to room temperature.
- If you only have a small amount of cooking oil left in your pan, let it cool and then wipe it up with a paper towel.
- Choose a non-breakable container with a resealable lid. If you want to reuse the oil, ensure that the container is clean. While you can use a glass container, it could shatter if you drop it. Plastic containers with screw tops such as peanut butter jars are great cooking oil containers. Remember to label the container to prevent someone from accidentally using the oil.[2]
- If you are not planning on donating your oil or reusing it, you can also cut the top off of a soda can and pour the oil into that.
- Toss the container of used oil in the trash. Seal the container with the used oil and place it in your trash can. Avoid simply pouring the oil into the trash can because this can make a mess and attract rodents.[3]
- Freeze and scoop the oil into the trash. If you don't have a resealable container, you can set the container with the oil in the freezer. For example, put an old can full of oil in the freezer for a few hours. Once the oil is hard, use a spoon to scoop the oil directly into the trash can.[4]
- You can also do this with a mug. Just wash the mug out with soapy water once you've disposed of the cooking oil.
- Pour the cooled oil into a plastic trash bag. Take a plastic bag that already has some waste. For example, you can use a bag that has old paper towels, veggie scraps, or tissues. Pour the cool oil directly into the bag so the trash and scraps soak up some of the grease. Tie the bag and place it in your trash can.[5]
- Do not pour the oil down your sink. Never pour any cooking grease down your kitchen sink because it will eventually block the pipes. Diluting the grease with soap or water will not prevent the oil from coating the pipes.[6]
- Seriously clogged pipes can cause flooding and sewage backups, so it's important to never dispose of the oil in the sink.
- Keep cooking oil out of your compost. Don't put cooking oil that was used to fry animal products into your curbside or backyard compost. If you put cooking oil in the compost, it can attract rodents, reduce air flow in the pile, and slow down the composting.[7]
EditReusing the Oil - Store the oil at room temperature in an airtight container. If you'd like to accumulate a full container of oil before you reuse it, pour the oil into an airtight container. You can store the oil in your pantry at room temperature until you're ready to use it again.
- Filter the oil through a coffee filter before using it again. Place a coffee filter over the top of the container holding the oil. Secure the filter with a rubber band and slowly pour the oil through the filter. This will trap any solids so you're left with clearer oil.[8]
- Food particles in the oil can make it rancid or encourage mold to grow.
- Reuse the oil to fry more food. You can fry another batch of food as long as you fry a similar food since the cooking oil has already taken on the flavor of the food you fried in it. For example, if you fried chicken in the oil, avoid frying cider donuts in it. If you fried foods that were coated or breaded, you may have a harder time removing the fried bits and flavor from the oil.[9]
- Frying vegetables usually helps the oil keep a neutral flavor, so it's easiest to reuse this cooking oil.
- Avoid using the oil more than 2 times. If you've filtered the oil and stored it properly, you can reuse cooking oil a few times. Check the oil before you use it and discard any oil that's cloudy, foamy, or smells bad. Never mix different types of cooking oil and dispose of the oil after 1 or 2 uses.[10]
- Reusing the oil more than 2 times can reduce the oil's smoke point, so it burns easier. It can also cause the fat to release damaging free-radicals and trans-unsaturated fatty acids.
EditRecycling the Oil - Contact your city about a recycling program. Call or check your local government's website about setting out used cooking oil for pick up. Some trash companies may even offer bins that you can set out for their collection. Your local fire department might also accept used cooking oil.[11]
- Your city may offer a grease pick up once or twice a year such as after Thanksgiving. Check with your city to learn about pick-up dates for the year.
- Store the cooking oil in a container until you're ready to recycle it. Pour the cooled cooking oil into a storage container with a sealable lid. Choose a sturdy container such as a plastic jar which won't shatter if it's dropped. Keep the oil at room temperature until you're ready to drop it off at a recycling center or place it at the curb for pick up.[12]
- Donate the cooking oil. Check with local restaurants or recycling programs in your area to see if you can give them your used cooking oil. Companies can produce biodiesel to power their cars or businesses. In order to find an oil drop off location, run an internet search with the line "cooking oil donation [Name of Your City]."[13]
- In some cases, your cooking oil donation can be tax deductible.
- Recycle any type of cooking oil. Most recycling centers can use any type of cooking oil to make biodiesel. Check with the center before dropping off your donation and avoid mixing your cooking oil with any other liquids.[14]
- Some recycling centers have bins that you can directly pour the oil into.
- If you'd like to mix used cooking oil into your pet's food, always consult the vet before adding the oil to their diet.
EditThings You'll Need - Storage container
- Coffee filter
- Rubber band
- Spoon
- Trash can
- Trash bags
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| How to Get a Toddler to Stop Drawing on Walls Posted: 17 Aug 2018 09:00 AM PDT Toddlers are naturally curious and are still learning boundaries. If you've caught your toddler doodling on the walls, remember not to react in anger. Instead, use simple language to stop them and redirect them to an acceptable drawing space. Remind your toddler that you enjoy their scribbles so long as they're not on the walls. EditResponding to Wall Scribbles - Use clear language to stop the toddler from drawing on the wall. As soon as you see the child writing or drawing on the wall, calmly tell them to stop. Instead of lecturing the toddler about why we don't write on walls, use short sentences to get them to stop.[1]
- For example, say, "Put the crayon down, please! Walls are not for drawing."
- Ask the toddler to help you clean the wall. Let the toddler know that they're not in trouble for scribbling, but that the wall is not the place to do it and now the wall needs to be cleaned off. Don't use cleaning as a punishment or they may associating drawing with punishment.[2]
- For example, say, "This wall has crayon on it now. Please help me clean it off. Then, we can draw on paper at the table."
- Thank your toddler when they help you clean up their scribbles. This will help reinforce the idea that you prefer clean walls, and it will make their actions seem valued.
- Redirect the toddler to an appropriate drawing space. It's important to let your toddler know that drawing and scribbling are great as long as they're in the right place. Once you've told the toddler to stop scribbling on the walls, show them where they're allowed to write.[3]
- You might say, "Let's go over to the easel and I can watch you draw a picture."
- Avoid reacting in anger to your toddler's scribbles. Never hit or yell at a toddler when you see that they've written on the walls. Reacting in anger can damage your relationship and make it more likely that the toddler will keep drawing on the walls to get a reaction.[4]
- It's fine to let your toddler know that you're sad that they wrote on the walls. Your sadness may signal to the child that they need to be more thoughtful.
EditEncouraging Appropriate Drawing - Keep messy art supplies out of reach when they're not in use. While you're training your toddler to not write on the walls, ensure that they don't have access to the art supplies without supervision. Put them on a high shelf, in a cabinet with a lock, or in the closet of a closed-off room.[5]
- Purchase washable art supplies such as non-toxic washable crayons, markers, and paints. Washable supplies will be easier to wash off of the walls if your toddler makes a mistake.
- Avoid letting your child write or draw with permanent pens and markers.
- Stay with your toddler while they're scribbling. It may take some time for your toddler to learn that the walls aren't for drawing. In the meantime, always supervise them while they're drawing, painting, or coloring. Gently correct them if they move away from their drawing space.[6]
- For example, if the toddler gets up and goes over to the wall while they have a marker in their hand, say, "You need to come over to your paper. Markers aren't for walls." Then, offer them thanks or praise when they start using their paper.
- Set up an easel or large pad of paper on a board. Some toddlers prefer to write on the walls because it's easier for them to stand and scribble instead of sitting. To make it easier for them to draw, put up an easel or prop a sturdy board up against the wall. Attach a large pad of paper to the easel or board.[7]
- If you're using the board, ensure that it won't fall or slide out from under your toddler.
- Offer whiteboards with erasable markers. If your toddler loves to take markers to the walls, give them a large whiteboard to scribble on. Set out non-toxic dry erase markers and show them how they can erase their drawings once they're done with them.[8]
- Remember to keep the markers out of reach when your child has finished drawing on the whiteboard.
- Show your child other acceptable places to write. Your child might write on the walls because they seem like a fun or unusual place to create. Take your curious doodler outside and let them use chalk or sidewalk paint on the sidewalk or patio. If it's winter time, give them colored water to paint the snow with. During playtime, give them papers in a variety of colors and textures to experiment with.[9]
- For a fun indoor space, buy bath crayons or paints and let your toddler write on the tub during bath time.
- Praise your toddler when they use a designated drawing space. Kids respond well to positive feedback, so it's important to reward good behavior every time you see it. Your toddler will be pleased that you appreciate and are interested in their drawing.[10]
- For example, watch your toddler color for a minute or two on an easel or writing pad. Then say, "I love watching you write on your nice paper!"
- Be consistent and patient with your toddler. It may be hard for them to understand the difference between drawing on one surface versus another.
- Consider keeping toddler art work for their baby book or use it as wrapping paper for grandparent gifts.
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