CRYING IN AUTISTIC CHILDREN

MY SON IS 17 YEARS. HE IS AUTISTIC. ALL HE DOES IS CRYING. HE CAN CRY MORE THAN  10 TIMES A DAY. HE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO SEVERAL DOCTORS, BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED. HE HAS BEEN ATTENDING SPECIAL EDUCATION SINCE PRE-SCHOOL, BUT NO HELP. CAN SOMEBODY HELP US FIND AN ANTEDOTE TO THIS PROBLEM.?

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

Without knowing your son, it’s impossible for me to tell exactly what is going on. Is he verbal and able to accurately report pain or discomfort? If not, I would definitely pursue looking into any possible medical causes or issues that he might not be able to report to you. Emotionality is not uncommon in teenagers both with and without autism-spectrum diagnoses. If there seems to be no medical cause for his crying, I would recommend having him seen by a psychiatrist who has experience working with children like your son. The psychiatrist should be able to help you identify whether the crying is within a normal range or if your son might be suffering from a form of depression.