Asperger's learned responses

I am aware of a young man with Asperger's Syndrome who reacted aggressively to a particular situation. As a result of his actions he was told that the next time he was aggressive he would be hand cuffed and taken to jail. Now, this young man has began to identify a specifc number of times during the month when he will be aggressive, and continues the intensity of his aggression until he is mechnaically restrained and placed in seclusion. It is unclear why the origanal aggression occurred. He must have encountered a situation that was stressful for him and he acted out in an aggressive manner. What can be done to help this young man "unlearn" that his aggressive responses MUST be followed by mechanical restraint and seclusion? As the situation currently stands, he is only satisfied when his agressive acts are followed by this intensity of intervention.

[Jessica L Thomason Sassi, Ph.D., BCBA-D]

Unfortunately, without information as to why he is engaging in this aggressive behavior, it is difficult to determine how to effectively reduce the behavior. In addition, I’m reluctant to give any advice about trying to help change his behavior, as it sounds like his behavior his quite severe and it’s not unusual for changes in programs to result in at least initial increases in behavior severity or frequency.

In the case of severe or dangerous problem behavior, it is best to try and get help from a professional who has experience in assessment and intervention.  I would recommend that you contact a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in your area and try to access services for this young man.  The BACB website has a local service provider directory at:http://www.bacb.com/consum_frame.html
Best of luck

[jodi40]

wow...sounds familiar....get an O.T. eval right away....your right about the learned behavior...but , what is the cause....sensory. He craves the feel of restraints.....O.T!!!

[Sally44]

Or the aggressive behaviour may be being used as a way of getting the desired outcome he needs ie. being secluded away from whatever the issue was.  If he does not have the insight or skills to be able to identify stress triggers and know what to do to self calm or remove himself from the situation etc and reduce anxiety and stress, then his only 'learnt' option that works for him is being arrested and put in jail.