masturbation

my 8yr old mildly asperger's autisic& has  ADHD has been caught before he goes to sleep @ night humping the covers,he is 4'5  85lbs , I am very concerned as a single parent. I have asked him questions and sat down and talked with him to make sure that nothing or noone is doing anything inapporiate to him!!  Is it testosterone,autism,puberty @ an early age? or am I JUST  BEING A MOTHER WHO DOES NOT WANT HER SON TO BE THAT WAY,I DONOT KNOW....

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

Masturbation is not entirely uncommon even at that age and it isn’t necessarily something to be overly concerned about. As with typically developing children, as your son gets older, expect him experiment as he becomes more familiar with the sensations he is experiencing. Usually, the focus for children with autism who begin masturbating isn’t on getting them to stop but rather teaching them when and where it is and isn’t appropriate. It sounds like you are worried that this might be related to possible sexual abuse or some sort of sexual encounter that he might have had. The masturbation, in and of itself, is not atypical and doesn’t necessarily indicate this. If you have concerns, keep your eyes open for any other signs and talk to his teachers about what they are seeing but, if it is just the masturbation, it does not need to be a major concern.