Markedly restricted repertoire of activities and interests Autistic children resist change in their environment and new routines. Approximately 75 to 80 percent are mentally retarded, with the majority functioning in the moderate range of retardation. Most autistic children display stereotypies, such as hand flapping and rocking, with the most severe stereotypies occurring in the most intellectually impaired. Some autistic individuals show sudden mood changes and may laugh or cry for no apparent reason. It is not uncommon to see autistic children giggling to themselves.
Some children are emotionally fragile.
Head banging may result in welts and frontal bossing. After a behavioral analysis is performed, techniques such as shaping or prompting are used to develop desired responses, which are then reinforced by increasingly mature rewards. However, autistic children may fail to generalize the Psychotherapy With the recognition of the biological basis of autism came the realization that psychodynamic psychotherapy in young autistic children, including unstructured play therapy, was not appropriate. In a subgroup of autistic children with target symptoms, such as temper tantrums, aggressiveness, self-injury, hyperactivity, and stereotypies, appropriate psychoactive agents may be an important part of a comprehensive treatment program. It was hypothesized that the stereotypies and hyperactivity seen in many autistic children were a function of increased dopaminergic activity.