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HYPERACTIVITY... Why The Autistic Child Just Can't Sit Still... UPDATE Dec. 2005: Make sure you also read a section I wrote in Book 3 on Hyperactivity and why this may be part of an immune system response to release B6 which is stored primarily in the muscles This issue is covered under "Coping Mechanisms". Although some children may truly be "hyper" (i.e., those who eat too much sugar, etc.), many issues we once saw as issues of hyperactivity are truly issues that are related to the autistic child's inability to properly process the "parts" to the "whole" and hyperactivity is, in my opinion, a physical means by which the autistic child deals with the frustration in his life. What follows is the information on this topic in my section on "coping mechanisms". The physical removing of oneself from an “offending situation”, a stressful situation where the “parts to the whole” are not understood, in my opinion, is but another coping mechanism used by the autistic child. This would explain why pretty well all autistic children always seem to be "running off" as parents chase after them in the hopes to teaching them or having them complete a task. I found Zachary not only "ran away", but when he removed himself physically from a stressful situation, he usually moved right to an activity that helped him in terms of providing an "order fix", a way in which he tried to bring order back to his world when it simply made no sense at all. "Order fixes" could take on many forms. For example, Zachary could climb on the couch from one end, walk across to the other end and then get off... or continue onto the next piece of furniture... moving from one end of it to the other. He would do the same thing as he climbed onto the kitchen table... he would go from one end to the other before he got off. Never would he "get off in the middle" of the piece of furniture. He had to "complete the task", much like he would "walk the line" on a street... he had to "follow" the furniture from one end to the other. If I was on the floor, Zachary would "walk the line" by starting at my feet, trying to physically walk over me, from my feet to past my head. When he first began to do this particular activity, I didn't understand it... and of course, I always tried to "push him off" by the time he got to my neck, but, soon, I came to realize what he was doing... he was using me, too, as a way to physically get an "order fix"... he was again, "walking the line"... only in this case, the line was my body... from feet to head... and he kept starting over, going back to my feet if I pushed him off before he completed the task and actually made it past my neck and head! For more on the issue of physical removal from offending situations, see the "Exercises I Do At Home"... exercises that showed me this issue with hyperactivity and physical removal so well... The Plastic Eggs! Note: I first wrote this section just after writing my first book... at the time I wrote my first book, I knew order was a key factor for these kids... it is only later that I came to see that WITHIN "ORDER" the key to it all was the autistic child's inability to deal with “partialities” or “parts to the whole”... the "not complete", the "not whole". Although this section made sense when viewed in terms of “order”… it now makes “complete sense” when viewed in terms of the inability to process the parts to the whole. When you read through this exercise, you can now clearly see that order plays a role, but more specifically, that the issue lies in the inability to deal with "partiality. Physical Removal Of Self From Stressful Area/Item/Situation - The Plastic Eggs. Hyperactivity is indeed another trait so characteristic of the autistic child. I don't doubt there are indeed some hyper children out there (i.e., children who may eat too much sugar, not have enough magnesium, etc.). However, I think that what we have for so long seen as "hyperactivity" is not hyperactivity but rather simply another coping mechanism in the autistic child... that of constantly, physically removing oneself or running away from sources of frustration. All persons, in my opinion, have a tendency to "walk away" from stressful situations or situations they simply do not want to deal with. I, personally, had done this on many occasions at work whenever I had a project I simply did not want to delve into. It was so much easier to delay the task, to get a cup of coffee, go talk to co-worker, etc., than to have to deal with actually starting an unpleasant activity. I knew I had been an excellent employee, yet, I too, to an extent suffered from this type of "hyperactivity" when it came to doing a task I considered most unpleasant. In reality, I think all persons naturally reacted this way. In an adult, there were always the "consequences" of "not doing something". In a child, however, especially an autistic child, I suspected this particular coping mechanism of "running away from the unpleasant" had too long been mislabeled as "hyperactivity". This, indeed, would help explain why so many children are still "hyper" in spite of being given medications, magnesium, epsom salt baths/creams, and other supplements known to help with "hyperactivity". Thus, again, in my opinion, the key to truly decreasing hyperactivity rests in removing areas of frustration in the child's life/environment by helping him to understand those things that, to him, just do not make sense. This would certainly explain the constant running away we see in these children, the constant jumping, and the apparent inability to be able to sit down long enough to learn anything. If the child does not understand the parts to the whole for teaching materials being placed before him, there is no doubt in my mind that he will continue to "run away" in order to cope with the frustration resulting from what is being put before him. The final thing I want to mention as it relates to "hyperactivity" is that, often, it can truly be a physical issue for many reasons. These include lack of magnesium as well as issues with parasites (i.e., worms). Parasites are a serious issue for all family members and I encourage all parents to become informed in this area as well, for this too can make a significant difference in one's behavior. |
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