Eileen Lamb, is a writer, photographer, and podcast host, and the creator of The Autism Cafe, the blog she created to share the ups and downs of raising a severely autistic child while being on the autism spectrum herself. She wrote an article on her blog titled, "Autism and Hitting" to discuss autistic behaviors, such as hitting, and how it can be controlled when a child chooses that action in a given setting. She describes an experience that she had with her son when they were at the park. He hit another child whose dad was seemingly quite aggravated with her for not stopping that behavior before it happened. While she explained to the father that her son does have autism and does not intentionally mean to hurt other people, and admitted she could have watched him closer, he seemed upset nonetheless. While trying to stop the hitting actions is important, it is possible that this behavior is rooted in the child's sensory issues. As all parents know, you can watch a child as closely as imaginable, but it only takes a second for a child, especially one with autism, to elope or lash out. All children deserve to be out in the community and exploring the world, but it requires an overall understanding of the differing abilities that some children may have is crucial for both parents and children to co-exist. Lamb says, "We need to continue to build awareness and understanding of disabilities, invisible and not, and makes sure that caregivers get the help and support they need." She listed a few conclusions in her article and one of those is that while autism is not an excuse for hitting other people, it is a contributing factor. This behavior also can be worked on, either in the home or in ABA therapy. It also requires adjusting the parental discipline to the language delays that they encounter every single day. What works in correcting negative behavior in a child without differing abilities may not and, likely, will not work for children who tend to process things differently. Comprehending the phrase "hitting hurts" may not be understood by an autistic child due to the fact that they just process words differently, so other actions may need to be taken. She ends her article with the phrase, "Remember, if you know one autistic person, you know one autistic person." Meaning that every person with autism is different so patience and understanding are crucial when trying to change or correct behavior in social situations, especially with children.
