A child exploring their body is natural but if your autistic child is touching himself too much then it is important to know how to stop this behaviour.

If this behaviour becomes frequent or occurs in public, it can become an understandable concern for parents.

Here are some strategies you can try to stop your autistic child from touching himself in his genital area:

Explain social boundaries

This will be entirely dependent on your child’s level of understanding and communication but it is something to consider.

You could try to help your child understand that touching oneself in their genital area is a private behaviour and is not appropriate in public.

Use age-appropriate language to explain that some behaviours are only appropriate in private and others are appropriate in public.

You could also consider using toys or figurines to highlight specifically which areas are not for regular exploration.

Identify triggers

One important step is to work out when and why your child is touching themselves.

You can keep a notepad or jot a memo in your phone to record when the behaviour occurs.

It may be for example that your child is touching themselves when they are hungry, thirsty or tired.

It could be related to them wearing particular clothing for example. Pyjamas for example quite often can trigger this behaviour in young boys.

Armed with that information you can prepare your tactics.

Provide sensory alternative

Sometimes, children with autism touch themselves because they are seeking sensory input.

In such cases, you can provide them with other sensory activities that are less harmful, such as squeezing a stress ball or playing with textured toys.

Use distraction techniques

This is something which you will have likely tried already but operating with some structure when trying to distract your child may help.

Keep a note of what seemed to stop the behaviour and you can either repeat or refine that tactic on the next occasion.

Some parents have had success with a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ distraction to hand.

This could be something such as a vibrating sensory toy or a light show.

Don’t rule out medical issues

There are a number of reasons why your child may be engaging in this behaviour but it could be down to a medical condition.

You could arrange an examination to try to rule out any medical condition which is causing your child to act in this way.

Without going too far down the rabbit hole of potential problems it could be something like an infection causing the sustained attention.

Use positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement can be helpful in encouraging your child to stop touching himself in their genital area.

Praise your child when they refrain from the behaviour and reward them with a favorite activity or treat.

Teach them about privacy

Teach your child privacy skills, such as closing the bathroom door when using the toilet or changing clothes.

You can use visual supports such as social stories to reinforce the concept of privacy.

Consider adapting their clothing

Clothing modifications, such as adding an extra layer of clothing or using tight-fitting clothing, may be helpful in reducing the frequency of the behaviour.

Thick clothing can also help, try denim or dungarees to help remove the desire to touch that area.

Summary – How to stop an autistic child touching himself

Stopping your autistic child from touching themself in his genital area can be a challenging process, but with patience and persistence, you can help your child overcome this behaviour.

It goes without saying that what works for one child may not work for another.

If one strategy is not effective, try another one until you find what works best for your child.