This article is professionally consulted by Dr. Đặng Thị Thanh Tùng – High-Tech Cerebral Palsy and Autism Treatment Unit – Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.
Screaming often occurs when a child with autism dislikes something, is displeased, or wants attention, conveying some message to us. Research shows that children with autism themselves cannot always control this screaming behavior. Below are some suggestions on how to deal with screaming and tantrums in children with autism.
1. Do Parents Understand Autism in Their Child?
Autism is not a disease, so there is no specific cure. Autism is a syndrome. It’s concerning that more and more children are being diagnosed with this condition.
Currently, there is no specific known cause of autism. However, scientific research suggests some risk factors such as genetics; abnormal brain structure; environmental or chemical toxins causing genetic and neurological changes; maternal illnesses during pregnancy; and psychological stress.
Compared to typical children, those with autism often have fewer social interactions, fewer communicative gestures, do not play with peers, do not share interests or show concern for others. They are often slow to speak, may echo words, make meaningless sounds, and display odd or unusual behaviors. One common behavior is that children with autism often scream or have tantrums whenever they are unhappy about something.
2. Why Do Children with Autism Often Scream?
Children with autism often live in their own world. Most of them do not like to be disturbed, do not enjoy playing with peers, and do not want to do things they dislike.
One of the difficulties for children with autism is sensory dysfunction (sensory sensitivities and thresholds). A noisy environment, too many people around, or someone bothering them can be intolerable, causing them to scream as a form of warning or complaint. For many children with autism, screaming is understood as a form of protest when they are not satisfied.
Another very important reason why children with autism—or any child—may scream or have tantrums is:
- They have significant difficulties with language and cognition. With limited comprehension and restricted language skills, they lack the negotiation and communication skills to achieve their goals. Therefore, they express their reactions externally through sound. Instead of using words, they use screaming at varying intensities.
- Children may also scream to get attention—this happens in children with normal cognitive abilities and in those with relatively high-functioning autism.
3. What Should Parents Do When a Child with Autism Screams?
3.1. Immediate Measures to Handle Tantrums and Screaming
Currently, there is no treatment that can completely cure autism, including the screaming behavior in children with autism. However, combining scientific methods can bring positive effects.
When your autistic child screams, parents can respond as follows:
- First, try to comfort and calm the child’s anger. Have a reasonable behavioral management strategy: For example, pretend not to care (ignore the tantrum and screaming) if you know it’s just attention-seeking behavior
- Reassure and calm the child if they are truly feeling insecure.
- Another option is to mimic the child’s behavior so that they see it as unreasonable and stop (if the screaming is attention-seeking).
3.2 Long-Term Measures to Reduce and Limit Screaming Tantrums
- Parents must never hit, scold, or use violence against the child. Soothe them with care, gentle words, and eye contact.
- Involve the child in simple household tasks to help them learn some skills, increase reflexes, and stimulate communication.
- Frequently praise and acknowledge the child in many ways: with verbal compliments, giving them their favorite items, or hugging them, depending on the child’s preferences.
- If you have a child with autism who often screams and throws tantrums, do not hide it; share this information with relatives, neighbors, and teachers so they can understand and help.
- Children with autism who scream need to integrate with friends by attending preschool or playing with other children. Do not isolate them from peers. Frequent contact with friends helps the child feel more comfortable, increases their awareness, and improves their ability to communicate and interact socially.
- Most importantly: Parents should understand their child, read books, and learn skills to help them daily. Also, consider seeking help from autism treatment centers where teachers and therapists can regularly evaluate difficulties and track the child’s developmental progress. Intervention can teach the child about cognition, language, and more effective ways to interact with others (family, friends, school) in everyday life.
- Parents should also let children participate in outdoor recreational activities. Do not confine them at home or expose them excessively to smartphones and TV—these can worsen their condition
Additionally, if you notice signs of autism in your child, such as frequent screaming, consider taking them to a hospital or an autism treatment center to investigate causes and symptoms and work with doctors to find appropriate treatments.
Autistic children who scream, as well as children with autism in general, need the care and attention of parents, family, friends, and teachers. This is a syndrome for which no cure currently exists. Without proper and early intervention, difficulties may persist for life. Conversely, with early and scientific interventions, along with the persistent efforts of parents and teachers to communicate with the child, autism can improve.
The child can lead a happier and healthier life.
The Psychological-Educational – Autism Unit at Vinmec Times City International Hospital is a pioneering facility applying multi-disciplinary therapeutic educational methods in the fields of science and art to evaluate and treat children with autism. Vinmec updates and applies comprehensive, evidence-based treatment and intervention models for psychology and arts, such as ABA, ESDM, etc., which have been proven effective worldwide to improve health and quality of life for children with autism. The hospital organizes weekly classes for children and works closely with parents to monitor progress and provide timely interventions.
If you suspect your child may have autism or psychological difficulties, you can consult with doctors, teachers, and therapists at Vinmec for support and to find effective educational methods for your child.
To arrange an appointment, please call HOTLINE or make your reservation directly HERE. You may also download the MyVinmec app to schedule appointments faster and manage your reservations more conveniently.
