Don’t worry–many children experience temporary behavioral regressions. These regressions can happen at different times of year—sometimes the Fall or the Spring or at different moments in life where the child might be going through internal physiological or with changes in their environment.

When we see one of these regressions it’s important to understand this is not a true regression necessarily in the sense where the child is permanently losing some of their developmental abilities but instead it is more of a temporary behavioral regression where their regulations are being compromised to stress and outside factors as well as sometimes other changes where they may be getting less support.

So we have to look at what’s changed. What are some of the new challenges or stressors? Or have they stopped receiving some of the things that they benefited from? Unfortunately we can’t always figure out exactly what causes a regression but whenever we see the regression or change in behavior we want to go back to the basics

This means providing more support, more love more time for the child to encounter regulating one-on-one interactions, that is doing more Floortime and decreasing the amount of stress the child is experiencing. So this means we want to decrease exposure to highly sensory-rich environments during the floor time sessions. It’s very important that we focus on getting into simple back and forth, not challenging the child at high levels of complex questions and abstract thinking or even just requiring them to use more language during the interaction. So we have to go back to the basics with Floortime too where we are challenging just to sustain the interaction and be in control.

Once we regain their baseline, then we can add challenges back into their experience but not until they re-achieve that baseline.

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Discussion: Oftentimes parents will identify particular problems (temper tantrums, perseveration or self-absorption) that they want to remedy, typically because it is embarrassing or disruptive. “There are six steps to take that usually solve these issues,” notes Dr. Greenspan.

1. You always want to be doing Floortime, because it establishes rapport and goodwill between you and the child.
2. “If the child is verbal,” says. Dr. Greenspan, “you should have problem solving discussions and practice things ahead of time.” If the child is non-verbal, use make-believe to practice transitions.
3. Equally as important is to always empathize with the child’s feelings.
4. Take the challenges step by step. Make the steps small.
5. When you need to set limits, be firm but gentle and engage in lots of negotiation.
6. “Lastly,” remarks Dr. Greenspan, “when setting limits, always do more Floortime, and increase the amount of Floortime proportionally to the limit setting.”

“Particularly for obsessions, focus in on the child’s activity and practice interacting around it,” Dr. Greenspan says. “Put the emphasis on making small gains and using the behavior interactively.”

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Discussion: While these kinds of behaviors can be unsettling, they are not harmful to either you or the child.

Consider the broader picture. “Every behavior a child engages in, autistic or not, should be treated as purposeful and as a basis for interaction,” allows Dr. Greenspan. The one exception is if the child is trying to hurt themselves, another person, or you. When this occurs, Dr. Greenspan explains, “You set a limit and interrupt that.” But, if the child is flapping, mouthing, or making funny sounds, use those interactions purposefully. You can engage your child around them, and expand them into more complex interactions.

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