Challenging behaviour - how does yours present?

Page 1 of 1 [ 15 posts ] 

SteelMaiden
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,722
Location: London

26 Jul 2016, 1:11 pm

I am just wondering. If you have challenging behaviour, how does yours present? As in the worst ones for you? And how often do you melt down?


_________________
I am a partially verbal classic autistic. I am a pharmacology student with full time support.


sweeToxic
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 25 Apr 2015
Gender: Female
Posts: 99

26 Jul 2016, 2:50 pm

I don't meltdown very often, but... when I do, it can get bad really quickly. It's also quite dependent on the situation and what my mood is that day. I don't have much challenging behaviors unless you count moodiness and irritability (my mom can get super annoying).


_________________
“It doesn't matter what your challenges are as long as you're ready to try to overcome them.” - Carly Fleischmann
Diagnosis: ASD Level one; speech delay until age four, learning disability, Requires some support.


SteelMaiden
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,722
Location: London

26 Jul 2016, 2:57 pm

I am interested to read how others experience challenging behaviour as I need to feel like I am not the only one. I am very violent and loud during meltdowns.

Mild meltdowns for me are pacing, shouting swear words, throwing things and biting my hands.

Moderate meltdowns for me are screaming, hitting myself, headbutting walls, smashing things, kicking things and people, and biting myself until I bleed.

My most severe meltdowns get me sectioned by the police and detained in a secure unit. I once nearly set a policeman on fire and another time went for one with a hammer (but thankfully he wasn't majorly hurt). These meltdowns I end up with 3-4 police officers restraining me and handcuffing me, and forced into a police van to the secure unit. Last time I was in the secure unit was a month ago and I'm trying hard not to end up back there again as it is a cesspit and unsuitable for autistics.

I am hoping that one day I will find the right meds and the right coping techniques to reduce my meltdowns, but I also realise that having a diagnosis of classic autism means that I will most probably be impaired like this for the rest of my life. Makes me suicidal sometimes.


_________________
I am a partially verbal classic autistic. I am a pharmacology student with full time support.


btbnnyr
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 May 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,359
Location: Lost Angleles Carmen Santiago

26 Jul 2016, 3:18 pm

I don't think having any form of autism would necessarily make you like this for life.
The teenage/adult LFA I know don't engage in the behaviors you described.
Your reports of these behaviors are very extreme.
Did you ever get checked for brain lesions like damage to frontal cortex or subcortical structures?


_________________
Drain and plane and grain and blain your brain, and then again,
Propane and butane out of the gas main, your blain shall sustain!


TheAP
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Dec 2014
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Posts: 20,314
Location: Canada

26 Jul 2016, 3:41 pm

For me I yell and sometimes hit myself. Sometimes I yell in people's faces.



SteelMaiden
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,722
Location: London

26 Jul 2016, 3:44 pm

btbnnyr wrote:
I don't think having any form of autism would necessarily make you like this for life.
The teenage/adult LFA I know don't engage in the behaviors you described.
Your reports of these behaviors are very extreme.
Did you ever get checked for brain lesions like damage to frontal cortex or subcortical structures?


I had an MRI under sedation when I was 16 and again at 21 and had no lesions. However I suffered an extreme migraine at 22 that left me half blind for a week and I had severe hemiparesis too. I think I have acquired a brain injury from that, but my neurologist won't send me for a repeat MRI (NHS budgets - MRIs are expensive and the waiting lists are long).

But then I have had severe challenging behaviour for most of my life (except for that time I was on certain medications, when I was able to do my GCSEs an A-Levels without being expelled). I had a "severe behavioural disorder" (that's what it was on my notes) diagnosed very early (2 years of age) and I was expelled / suspended from schools repeatedly until I got into a specialist primary school. Secondary school I had to have a support worker with me all day, but I still got suspended many times. I wasn't expelled because I have always been intelligent and I guess my exam results looked good on their league tables. I found school work easy.


_________________
I am a partially verbal classic autistic. I am a pharmacology student with full time support.


Jensen
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Feb 2013
Age: 70
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,013
Location: Denmark

26 Jul 2016, 3:52 pm

Needing to know EXACTLY, what is meant - and having difficulty understanding, why people cut yoy or just don´t answer. They could at least give SOME explanation.
That´s challenging......so I´ve learned.....


_________________
Femaline
Special Interest: Beethoven


btbnnyr
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 May 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,359
Location: Lost Angleles Carmen Santiago

26 Jul 2016, 6:00 pm

If you have brain damage, drugs are unlikely to help, so it could be pointless searching for the right combination.
Training yourself may or may not help, depending on the damage.
In that case, you may have to accept that you will be like this for life.
If you don't have brain damage, there is more hope in terms of training yourself not to flip out each time something occurs outside a small comfort zone, at least to the point of not attacking other people.
What are you, your parents, and support people doing in terms of getting help training to regulate yourself to any degree?
It is unlikely there is a magical drug combination that is going to get rid of these mental problems, so the best path is probably committing to training to regulate yourself.
Try to be open-minded in accepting help from others like psychologists and doctors instead of thinking of them as awful if they don't immediately understand your problems.
Most people won't understand your problems, since they are outside most people's experience.
But it is possible to learn to regulate yourself more with help from others, actually any small improvement would make a difference.


_________________
Drain and plane and grain and blain your brain, and then again,
Propane and butane out of the gas main, your blain shall sustain!


SteelMaiden
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,722
Location: London

26 Jul 2016, 10:28 pm

Thanks. I have a non NHS psychologist who is willing to work with me regarding the behaviours, but not until September.

In the meantime I have a support worker who is working with me to reduce meltdowns in public using techniques.

Obviously it's work in progress.

I find exercise helpful and I always have my sunglasses and ear plugs on outside.


_________________
I am a partially verbal classic autistic. I am a pharmacology student with full time support.


The_Dark_Citadel
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

Joined: 20 Jul 2016
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 339

27 Jul 2016, 6:50 am

Not often, but I can become aggressive enough to necessitate Diazepam. Almost always due to extreme overstimulation. Large, noisy crowds and trying to process too much input lead to it.


_________________
If I were a knight, my name would be Sir Stimsalot.


EzraS
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Sep 2013
Gender: Male
Posts: 27,828
Location: Twin Peaks

27 Jul 2016, 7:44 am

I have meltdowns fairly often of different severity. The worst ones I go completely out of control and have to be restrained and even sometimes sedated.



SteelMaiden
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,722
Location: London

27 Jul 2016, 6:43 pm

Intramuscular lorazepam and haloperidol was given to me against my will many times on the secure unit. But the most recent time I was inpatient there and had a severe meltdown, they gave me intramuscular olanzapine, which calmed me down, eventually, and then made me sleep for 6 hours straight, and then I woke up with a shockingly low blood pressure.


_________________
I am a partially verbal classic autistic. I am a pharmacology student with full time support.


ocdgirl123
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,809
Location: Canada

27 Jul 2016, 7:25 pm

I've had meltdowns since I was very little. I don't think it's brain damage because I can see autism in myself in old videos. I've only ever had one very mild head injury, but the autism symptoms started BEFORE the head injury and I asked my parents if they noticed any behavioural changes and they said they didn't. I was just always like that.

Anyway, for me, I hyperventilate and hand-bite during my mild meltdowns, and make weird noises. I also pace.

During my moderate meltdowns, I bite more severely, hit my chin and swear.

My severe meltdowns are the same except I rock bath and forth severely and scream.

Self-injurious behaviour like the OP and I have aren't uncommon in autistic people.

Medication has helped a little. I find taking a walk helps. Also, listening to music is helpful. Typical NT relaxation methods (like deep breathing and visualization) don't do very much for me.


_________________
-Allie

Canadian, young adult, student demisexual-heteroromantic, cisgender female, autistic


randomeu
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 May 2016
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Posts: 628
Location: In the wonderful world of i dont know

27 Jul 2016, 7:59 pm

I always thought i started being autistic after being hit on the head with a tv, yes, that happened. my dad had a small tv on a shelf that attaches to the wall, it had an arm on it so that you could move the tv around (this, thinking back, was a stupid idea), well needless to say it fell off the wall and hit me on the head, i was very little, i remember it hurting, like quite a lot, but i didn't cry, my dad just hugged me and comforted me, but i didn't cry...which is weird. but i always thought thats when i changed, but according to my parents nothing changed, im exactly how i was before the incident.


my worst behaviors? im the most STUBBORN person you've will ever meet. you can't win an argument with me, i just will never admit defeat or see your point of view. if ive decided mine is logical and without flaw then you have no chance, i wont give up. seriously im in the middle of an argument on a youtube comment (thats mine, im the original poster) and its gone on for about 30 reply posts now, haha good luck guy im arguing with, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into.

im also cold hearted in a lot of ways, that situation upset you? well i can't see how you'd logically get upset by that so obviously thats wrong, im not going to apologize (i can't apologize very well....its weird, im working on it). during my meltdowns, which i have quite often, are just kind of.....random. sometimes they are REALLY really sad, and i cry uncontrollably and almost lose the ability to speak. or it can happen in the other way, which is the WORST one by far. RAGE mode, shout SO loud, i start swearing and punching the table, stomping, swearing every step of the way, stopping just short of the worst C word (apparently even rage meltdown me has standards), its like being in another body you know, like its not me anymore, its like an entirely different person jumped into my body and took control and wont let go till their finished. im just glad this version only really happens when everyones out of the house, because id be SO embarrased if it happened when someone was around to hear it :oops: .


_________________
AQ score: 45

Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 174 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 30 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)


Officially diagnosed 30th june 2017


sweeToxic
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 25 Apr 2015
Gender: Female
Posts: 99

27 Jul 2016, 8:13 pm

I think the only thing for me would be controlling my emotions, now that I think of it. I get really angry easily to the point where I react negatively. Usually, it's by throwing something or slamming my hand against a wall, pounding my fist on the table as well. If you've ever seen the movie Inside Out, you'd know what I was talking about. If not though, here's a gif to explain how my brain feels when I get angry:

Image


So yeah. It's something I forgot to mention.


_________________
“It doesn't matter what your challenges are as long as you're ready to try to overcome them.” - Carly Fleischmann
Diagnosis: ASD Level one; speech delay until age four, learning disability, Requires some support.