What happens before the reaction?
Communication difficulties or an inability to express a need can influence behaviour. Also consider noise and other environmental factors, excessive demands, transitions, fatigue and changes in routine. Possible pain or coexisting health issues call for medical assessment.
Functional assessment of behaviour
Describe a specific episode with parents: what happened before, what the child did and what followed. This helps form and check a hypothesis about the function. For example, ending a difficult task after shouting can reinforce that way of requesting a break. This does not imply deliberate manipulation or blame parents.
Goals that can be reviewed
A goal might be to teach an understandable way to request help or a break. Another might be fewer occasions of abandoning a manageable task when it gets difficult. Record a starting point, then agree the measures and review period individually.
Building support
Discuss manageable demands and predictable transitions, teach an accessible way to communicate and support emotional regulation. Parents try agreed approaches in daily situations and share what happens. Observations guide revisions, with the child’s safety and wellbeing in mind.
Sources and scope
NICE CG170 covers support for autistic children. The equipment manufacturer describes BAC technology.