Autism and Attention-Seeking Behaviors: What You Can Do to Stop the Cycle

What if the behavior is endangering someone?

Sadly, there are times when ignoring the behavior is not the way to go, particularly when the person is threatening to hurt themselves or others, or if whatever behavior they’ve chosen to engage in could lead to harm for them or someone else. In these cases, it’s still a good idea to try not to give the behavior too much attention and have as little contact with the situation as possible. But do what you need to do to ensure everyone in the situation remains safe. Try to stop the behavior without making eye-contact or displaying any strong emotion.

What else can I do to encourage a change in behavior?

When the person you’re caring for is not in the middle of an attention-seeking episode, you have some options about what you can do to reinforce good behavior or discourage bad behavior. One of those options is to reward good choices the person makes with the attention they crave. If the child (or adult) makes a good behavior decision or goes for a certain period of time without engaging in the negative behavior, he or she should be rewarded.

Try telling the person that if they go for five minutes (or one minute or 10 minutes or whatever works) without doing the behavior you’re trying to stop, you’ll reward them—whether it be with a treat or an activity they enjoy or a sticker or something else entirely. Make sure the child (or adult) knows how long he or she needs to avoid bad behavior and what they will get as a reward.

It may also help to simply get the person’s mind off their negative behavior pattern and help them focus on something else. Experiment with a new game or activity or a tried-and-true one you know they enjoy. Just make sure you’re not using this fun activity as a reward for negative behavior. This strategy is particularly useful if you’re able to predict when the person is likely to begin acting up. Engage the person in a distracting and fun activity just before he or she is likely to begin displaying negative attention-seeking behaviors.

Do you have another method or tip for teaching a child to stop engaging in negative attention-seeking behaviors? We’d love to hear about it in the comments, and other parents, teachers, and caregivers may benefit from your thoughts!