Teens on the autism spectrum have a difficult time processing their emotions and can feel frustrated when others do not understand them. This can lead to unwanted behavior and will hinder their development toward a more independent life in the future. However, there are healthy ways for teens with autism to deal with frustration that you can use whenever they act out. An individual therapy program can help your teen develop functional and social skills to improve their behavior and help them communicate better.
At Camp Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, our team provides critical resources for teens aged 11-17 to help them learn how to deal with their frustration in healthy ways. We provide education and an individual therapy program where your teen will practice their skills to help them flourish. To get help managing frustration for teens with autism, fill out our online contact form or call 855.915.2545 today to speak with our staff about how we can help your teen develop healthy ways to deal with their frustration.
Understanding Where Your Child’s Frustration Comes From
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disease that affects the central nervous system and the brain’s ability to process vital information. While some children will have minimal symptoms and communicate somewhat normally with their peers and family, others will struggle with basic communication skills. They cannot pick up on the subtle nuances of interacting with others that we take for granted.
To better manage frustration for teens with autism, you need to recognize your child’s warning signs that something is wrong. Since autism affects each child in unique ways, an individual therapy program can help your teen learn to express their feelings and reduce their frustrations. Our Camp Worth team also provides parents with autism training to help combat their frustration and adverse behavior at home. By learning healthy ways for teens with autism to deal with frustration, you increase their social abilities and give them a better chance of leading an independent life.
Managing Frustration for Teens with Autism
Teens with autism have telltale signs that precede unwanted behavior or temper tantrums due to not being able to express themselves. Through individual therapy and parent training, you will learn to recognize and prohibit unwanted behavior due to frustration.
Some of the best ways of managing frustration for teens with autism include:
- Recognize warning signs of frustration so you can distract your teen and help them focus on something else. Physical behavior such as hyperventilating and stimming are warning signs that your teen feels frustrated.
- Teach deep breathing techniques to help calm your teen down. Deep breathing with your teen is an easy way to help calm them down and help them focus on why they are feeling frustrated. Encourage them to vocalize their feelings to help them better communicate.
- Give your teen a physical task. Combating frustrating feelings is about distracting your teen with another activity like playing, jumping, or simply running around the backyard until their frustration is gone or they are tired. Physical exercise is a great way to relieve their frustration in a healthy way.
- Have a quiet place set up for them to sit and reflect or write down their behavior and what led to it. Sit with them after a few minutes and talk about their feelings and why they became frustrated.
Turn to Camp Worth for Help Managing Frustration for Teens with Autism
At Camp Worth, we provide individual therapy programs and parent training programs to help create healthy ways for teens with autism to deal with frustration. We provide a safe and encouraging space for them to practice their skills. At the same time, we will work with parents to teach them how to stop frustrations and behavior from disrupting the day. To learn how managing frustration for teens with autism can help, complete our online form or call 855.915.2545 today to speak with our caring support staff about healthy ways for teens with autism to deal with frustration.
