Children with autism disorder are very sensitive, and it’s common for them to behave in certain challenging ways. However, not every autistic child is the same. If one factor is triggering an autistic child’s behaviour, it might not affect the other child.

Once a trigger has affected an autistic’s behaviour, it is difficult for them to regain control quickly. Understanding these triggers for abnormal behaviour in autistic children can help improve behavioural control and assist parents or people near the child avoid any such kind of situation. Here are some common challenging triggers of behaviour for children with autism.

Stressful situation

A stressful and anxious situation can be a trigger for an autistic’s behaviour. Autistic children can get extremely overwhelmed when they are faced with uncomfortable and stressful situations.

Proximity

Autistic children face sensory issues and are most likely to overreact or under-react when someone gets too close to them.

Chaos

Because of their sensory issues, autistic children find it challenging to deal with a chaotic situation. For instance, the chaos created by a cluttered environment at home can send them into a meltdown.

Change in routine

Autistic children are not fond of changes in their routine; they like predictability. They get upset if the usual ways are not followed and find it difficult to adapt. Sudden changes in their routine can create panic and stress for children, leading to meltdowns.

Being ignored

Some autistic children like attention. Being ignored, either on purpose or by accident, is a very prevalent trigger for violent behaviour in autistics.

Pace

A lot of information coming in too quickly all at once can be overwhelming for an autistic child. These children often take time to process any sort of information and need more time to understand all the information coming at them.

Noise

A sensory overload of noise can be triggering for a child. A lot of noise around them can become very stressful, making them feel overwhelmed and send them in panicky mode.

Strangers

Children with autism disorder are not fond of meeting people other than those they know – their family, friends etc. They have trouble communicating with them and are likely to get triggered by coming face to face with a new person.

The more the people are aware of the triggers that can lead to meltdowns, the more they can understand it better and help minimise stressors and help the child to cope better.