Superphonic
Well-Known Member
My son is a 5 years old with Aspergers. He ignores directives, ex. "stop this!" (he's pulling on a garland and the xmas tree is about to topple). He's very good at expressing his thoughts and this is the way he explains what happens in his head at those moments: "I hear what you're saying and I know you're right, but my initial idea is too strong and I can't stop it. Once it's in my head, I have to carry it through even if I don't want to, even if I know it's a bad idea."
Visualization has helped him before in other areas so I thought he could give it a try for this too. I told him to take a picture in his mind of the undesirable idea/action and then to imagine throwing the picture in the wind. Then he has to think of something really pleasant right away so that the picture doesn't fly back in. What's the most pleasant thing you can think of?, I asked him. He chuckled : "Getting my way with bad ideas!"
Any techniques to suggest on how to control this kind of compulsion? As much as I want to preserve his self-esteem and find creative ways of dealing with his challenges (other than punishments), I also want to protect my younger son who is put at risk on account of this behavior.
Thank you!
Visualization has helped him before in other areas so I thought he could give it a try for this too. I told him to take a picture in his mind of the undesirable idea/action and then to imagine throwing the picture in the wind. Then he has to think of something really pleasant right away so that the picture doesn't fly back in. What's the most pleasant thing you can think of?, I asked him. He chuckled : "Getting my way with bad ideas!"
Any techniques to suggest on how to control this kind of compulsion? As much as I want to preserve his self-esteem and find creative ways of dealing with his challenges (other than punishments), I also want to protect my younger son who is put at risk on account of this behavior.
Thank you!