Hand Flapping

 Hand and finger mannerisms among autistic children are seen as a way to escape the over
stimulating sensory input present in the environment. It is viewed as them trying to
express that they are: happy, excited, anxious, or angry. Hand flapping would be
something to worry about when and if it impacts a child’s functional daily living ability
or if it impacts their ability to navigate their environment safely. (North Shore Pediatric
Therapy, 2019). The Raising Children Network in Australia further added that these
behaviors can also affect your child’s attention to the outside world, which in turn can
affect her ability to learn and communicate with others. For example, if your child is
flicking his fingers near his eyes, he might not be playing with toys so much and not
developing his play skills. When he’s older, if he’s absorbed in watching his hands in
front of his eyes in the classroom, he’s not engaged with his schoolwork. If he’s pacing
around the fence in the playground, he’s missing valuable social opportunities.

Excessive Biting/Aggressiveness

 One of the challenging/self-injurious behaviors of autistic children are excessive biting or

aggressiveness which occur quite often as a result of an environmental, internal
physiological stressor, medical, sensory, behavioral or communication-related such as
physical pain, discomfort or medical issue, developmental stages, seeking sensory input,
frustration or distress, or a learned behavior that is used to manipulate their environment.
In a study held by Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
wherein 1,380 children with ASD were examined, the researchers found that 56% were
engaging in aggressive behaviors towards caregivers, while a smaller number (32%)
engaged in these behaviors towards non-caregivers. Similarly, 68% of the children had
previously behaved aggressively towards caregivers and 49% towards non-caregivers.
These are extremely high rates, especially when compared with those for people who
have intellectual disability (ID) but not autism. Aggressive behavior has been
documented in only 7-11% of these individuals. The study therefore provides solid
evidence that aggressive behaviors are a major challenge for families of children with
ASD.

References

Ambitious About Autism. (2017). Behaviors that challenge. Retrieved from

https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/understanding-autism/behaviour/behaviours-that-
challenge

Anderson, C. (2011). NEW RESEARCH ON CHILDREN WITH ASD AND AGGRESSION.

Retrieved from https://iancommunity.org/cs/simons_simplex_community/aggression_and_asd
National Autistic Society. (2015). Physical challenging behaviour. Retrieved from
https://www.autism.org.uk/about/behaviour/challenging-behaviour/physical.aspx

North Pediatric Therapy. (2019). Hand Flapping: When to Worry. Retrieved from
https://www.nspt4kids.com/healthtopics-and-conditions-database/autism-spectrum-
disorder/hand-flapping-worry/

Raising Children Network. (2017). Stimming and autism spectrum disorder. Retrieved from
https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/behaviour/common-concerns/stimming-asd