Autism and erections

My son is 5 years old and has been diagnosed with moderate autism, he doesn't talk. His more common recent issue has been erections. He's had testing, KGUB, ultrasound for retractable testicles, and has been cleared by a urologist that everything is ok physically. After discussing this issue with a few diagnosing specialist they suggested that I redirect him and tell him that behavior is not acceptable. So that worked for a short while. Now when he's in a really good mood he gets erections along with trying to rub up against or hump a wall or a table leg. His hand is constantly in his pants and after so long he gets frustrated. I don't know what more to do about I've even wrapped icepaks in towels and applied them to the area. Any suggestions?

[Jason C Bourret, Ph.D., BCBA-D]

A typical approach to dealing with children diagnosed with ASDs who are masturbating in inappropriate places is to teach them where and when the behavior is acceptable. This often involves blocking the behavior and redirecting to either a location in which it is more acceptable or an alternative activity. In addition to this, it can be effective to arrange additional reinforcers for him going for periods of times without any form of public masturbation (i.e., a reward at the end of each hour or couple of hours for good behavior). This isn’t an uncommon issue and it’s one that I’ve seen successfully treated many times. If this is a continuing problem, I suggest finding a board-certified behavior analyst in your area who has experience working with children like your son.