Disruptive And Aggressive Behavior Is A Common Problem...

Disruptive and aggressive behavior is a common problem within the field of autism. Professionals receive training in how to manage these behaviors utilizing many different methodologies based on Applied Behavior Analysis as well as attending trainings in Professional Assault Crisis Training. The family directly involved with the child with autism relies on the professional to provide intervention and instruction with very little knowledge of the methods being utilized to treat their child. Although, some families become proactive in their child s treatment, others disengage. It is suspected the potential for disengagement is heightened due to a lack of knowledge of both the methods being utilized and autism, how to utilize behavior†¦show more content†¦Disruptive behaviors are often seen in the way of kicking, biting, hitting, and throwing objects, which can result in injury to the child, parent, and increase parental stress level which can cause increased behavior probl ems. In a study of 1380 children with ASD, performed by Kanne Mazurek (2010), the researchers found 56% of the children engaged in aggressive behaviors towards their caregivers while only 32% engaged in aggression towards people other than their caregivers. Additionally, 68% had a history of behaving aggressively toward caregivers and 49% towards others (Kanne Mazurek, 2010). Given the frequency of behaviors demonstrated, paired with the rate at which autism is being diagnosed, the necessity for parents to be trained in appropriate intervention techniques is essential. A similar study, which sought to show training parents in behavior management methods as more useful than simply educating them about autism performed by Bearss, K., Johnson, C., Smith, T., Lecavalier, L., Swiezy, N., Aman, M., †¦ Scahill, L. (2015), showed a higher rate of improvement in those whose parents attended the training; however, improvements failed to yield results that could be determined to be s tatistically significant. Through the inclusion of only children who were enrolled in school, English speaking, and predominantly male, it leaves room for further investigation. At 24 weeks the behaviors decreased, as reported by parents, 47.7%