Children with ASD can throw up some unique challenges, but what do you do if your autistic child is always whining?

In the below article we look into the behaviour and come up with some ways in which parents can manage it.

Reasons for the whining

Life can be tough for a child with autism. They are growing up in a confusing and at times overwhelming world.

The whining could be down to any number of reasons, here are some possibilities;

Communication struggles

It is no secret that a lot of autistic children struggle in the relm of communication.

Even those children with speech may not always be able to formulate the world’s to articulate their feelings.

So put simply autistic children may whine because they are having trouble communicating their needs or wants.

They may not know how to express themselves in words, or they may have difficulty finding the right words to use.

Sensory overload

Being overloaded by ones senses is something quite hard to imagine for the neuro-typical.

Sometimes it is helpful to try and put ourselves in the shoes of our children. Picture a world where background noise was turned up in volume.

Where the hum of a washing machine was bombarding you from across the room.

Or where the lights in your house felt like they were being lit by super-powered lightbulbs.

With this all out attack on your senses it makes sense that you would whine on occasion.

This is especially true if your communication levels didn’t allow you to explain your discomfort.

Other medical conditions

Autistic children can be prone to get sick more regularly than their neuro-typical peers.

We have an article explaining this issue here but it can be linked to whining.

Again, imagine you were suffering from a sore throat or constipation but you couldn’t ask for help?

This discomfort could manifest in a constant whine to your parents or teachers.

A break to routine

Most parents in our position would have realised how important routine can be to autistic children.

Routines can be the backbone of their day, creating predicability in a confusing world.

What we may sometimes miss however is when smaller, less noticeable routines have developed.

An autistic child may have picked up a sequence which completely passed us by.

An example could be something minor like recognising the postman, or a certain type of butter spread on toast.

Tiny changes to these small routines can cause their anxiety to spike. This spike could then manifest in whining.

What can parents do if their autistic child is always whining?

Now we have covered off some of the possible reasons behind the whining, here are some tactics to try.

Work on communication

As you would have noted, nearly all of the above issues link in to communication.

If your child is non verbal then trying to improve in this area is likely already a top priority.

What we would say however is to not rule out alternative forms of communication. These can include tactics like sign language or picture cards.

If your child can master a way of explaining their discomfort then this could be game changing for you all.

You could teach them how to show a ‘loud’ card when there is excessive noise. With this being available they can explain how an appliance is causing them discomfort.

Parents should also be sure to speak clearly when they have understood a request.

For example if a radio is too loud and your child has communicated that, be sure to say “too loud” as you turn it down.

We have previously recommended a book on this site called More Than Words.

We have no affiliation with the owner but wholeheartedly recommend it to parents in this position.

Create a calm environment

As struggles with sensory input are a likely cause for the whining, try to create a calm environment.

This could involve installing dimmer lighting or providing your child with noise cancelling headphones.

Other options include using dimming blinds or providing an indoor tent for them to sit in.

Whatever you can do to help your child cope with their environment will likely assist with the whining.

Stick to routines

Almost working in reverse from the causes of the whining, where possible stick to routines.

Naturally in life there are many occurrences which may be out of your control. However providing structure and predictablilty will undoubtedly help your child.

A simple addition you can utilise is a tool called a schedule board.

You can explain at the start of each day what is going to happen. It helps to highlight things like visitors arriving and trips out.

The feeling of knowing what is coming would undoubtedly provide comfort to your child.

Summary – Autistic child always whining?

When dealing with an autistic child whining it is important to look through a sympathetic lense.

The whining is likely a manifestation of them struggling with the outside world.

This is a world which is confusing and uncomfortable for them on a daily basis.

Tactics to tackle the issue will vary from child to child, but they often come back to communication. If you focus your efforts on helping your child explain themselves, this will likely reduce the whining.

Whilst the journey to speech can be a long and difficult one, small steps can be game changing for a child.

With love, patience and persistence you can help your child express themselves. This would hopefully lead to reducing the whining in time.

Good luck