Help! My Non Verbal Child Won’t Stop Screaming!

[donaldjp]

it's easily understood but easier said than done

[joyceluckey]

this means nothing to a child that does not talk or understand a thing you are saying

[autumnhelms]

There are several people on here complaining about their neighbors autistic kids and i find it just hilarious because yall actually have the nerve to try to make it about you when you are not the real ones suffering here. You have no idea how hard it is to raise an autistic child or the pain and stress us parents go through. I have autism myself so it makes it even harder when sounds overwhelm me. I just want to get away from it but I'm the parent. I'm the one I the situation, I'm the one begging and pleading for professional help. I'm the one crying because I don't know how to help my daughter and y'all think it's so bad that you have to here it from the house next door. Try having it right in your face or ears for one single day and then let's see how you feel. Get over yourselves. It must be nice to be able to leave your home or walk away or ignore it when it isn't your own child. Sound proof your homes or put on some headphones if it bothers you so much.

[theslitherysylvie]

First, I would like to say care giver burn out is a real thing, and if you are stressed and tired, you need to try to take time to care for yourself. There are resources out there available through your county, community, etc that can help you. Care giver respite programs are out there. I have a 20 year old and a 3 year old, both with non verbal Autism. One thing that has helped is watching videos where people with Autism that are verbal discuss what it feels like to be Autistic. You can gain much more understanding and empathy. Your children are not doing these things to be malicious, they are doing it because they experience everything differently from us. Also, many of us parents have some degree of Autism our selves, and that can make the loud sounds even harder for us to cope with. My best advice is to try different sensory tools, figure out if there are underlying medical issues, and be open minded. Some children respond very well to meds, some do not. But most of all, never forget your child is human with thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams.

[joma]

My young adult son is completely non-verbal but makes constant non stop jabbering. (Not sure if he is trying to talk or likes to hear himself or has some sort of brain glitch) But honestly it is non stop annoying noises. I took him to the doctor desperate for help because it is destroying our family sanity. I was looked at like an alien. The medical field does not seem to know how to help us... or there basically is no help. Aba therapy is of no use because he is profoundly mentally disabled. This doctor also suggested I take him to a psychologist? Probably for meds cause he's not able to communicate. I'm taking him for a cat scan a to see if there is a cause there. God, I hope there will be help for us all who are dealing with this.

[MollyMcBooter]

This is going to sound really weird but I’ve noticed with my 4 year old non-verbal/always flipping out & screaming son that putting on a video of ‘healthy screaming’ some times helps. It turns out he loves some heavy metal bands, so I’ve found a few that don’t use explicit lyrics or imagery in their videos. There’s even a band on Youtube who has a metal version of ‘What does the fox say?’ and he loves it.
We take what we can get. lol!

[caitlinlandis]

I get what the doctor said. However, this didn’t help me with a solution. My nonverbal 3 year old twins are performing “twin escalation syndrome” and it’s more of a schrill scream that makes me want to pull my hair out. This past week it’s been all day and all night. People walking past my house probably think I’m gutting pigs in my house. Putting music on will not help me and they have no receptive language so I can’t even tell them anything. It’s so hard.

[tubefanalso]

My 16 year old autistic daughter is also non-verbal in the sense she can't hold a conversation at all, but she does have a lot of words and can identify a wide range of objects when asked. She started having seizures in August 2013, and since then her behavior has gone straight to hell, including she's been screaming almost non-stop for at least the last 5 months. We have tried almost everything, we simply cannot find the reason. I don't think she enjoys the noise, most of the time she is quite distressed. We've seen 5 specialists in the last 9 months, 2 ER visits, and a 2 month stay in a psych ward. We've tried numerous meds in numerous combinations. Finally we had her put in a group home as we could no longer function as a family. And STILL the ordeal continues: repeated problems at school, even in the special needs class, kicked off the bus, etc etc etc. Anyone have any other suggestions that are more concrete than "find the reason"???  Until about 3 years ago we repeatedly travelled to South Africa with our daughter. Now you can't even take her to a movie. Autism SUCKS!! :(

[witchessential]

My 2 year old is non-verbal and understands only 2 words in sign language that can get her what she wants but she never uses them unless prompted. Other than that she doesnt understand basic instructions, or refuses to acknowledge them. When I enforce the rule or the command, thats when the screaming starts. At that point she is inconsolable, unreasonable and sometimes violent. The only way at that point to get her to stop is to let her scream till she gets tired of it or give her what she wants and neither of those are great options. If i try to reason in any way, or even speak to her, the screaming gets louder. At this point, Im at my wits end. I love her and just want her to be happy, but its so hard when understanding and communication isn't entirely present

[happystar]

Binaural beats are a very invaluable tool in our house. My 4 year old autistic son is absolutely a screamer, and seems to have bad anxiety from over stimulation. The music is like magic. Everyone’s mood in the house lifts up. I myself benefit a lot, with my own over stimulation and anxiety from his anxiety. I even listen basically every night in my headphones to fall asleep, and have way better mornings. I KNOW this stuff works. Btw though, my kids and I are musically inclined, so I’m not sure if that is a factor. If you’re reading this, try it anyway! I love these videos… “Instant Relief from Stress and Anxiety | Detox Negative Emotions”…by Sleep Easy Relax.... and also…. “Beautiful Relaxing Music . Peaceful Piano Music & Guitar Music”…by Soothing Relaxation.. and also.. “Happiness Frequency: Serotonin, Dopamine, Endorphin Release Music”.. by Greenred Productions. Explore from there!

[netty]

Omg my 2 and half year old autistic baby started screaming when hes mad or not getting what he wants!! He gets caught in the act of being naughty and he flips it on me by screaming and screeching. It's so frustrating I want him to stop this immediately cas unfortunately I have high anxiety and I'm a single mom not much support

[TheGirlnurse]

I would almost prefer screaming over whining! My 7 Y/O nonverbal autistic daughter whines almost nonstop if she isn’t being entertained. Every once in awhile she screams too but mostly whining.

[CocoSpuzzillo]

Omg I never guessed finding out why they're screaming would be the resolution thank you for talking and wasting 3 minutes of my life

[missyb]

my autistic 9 year old daughter also screams. And it isnt always in a negative way. She screams when she plays with her toys or sings (her version of singing is humming to the music and trying to sound out words. She also screams her songs and nursery rhymes. I tell her lets try to sing quiet..then I tell her lets sing silly (we change our voicesto high or low pitch) or simg like a baby or monster. I make it like a game. It doesn't stop the screaming in other situations but it has helped

[tjmomentum]

I realize that two minutes isn't enough to cover all the possibilities, and this type of acting out could be behavioral. But I believe it's also essential to rule out any medical problems. My nonverbal autistic son was screaming all the time when he was roughly seven years old. After many doctor visits, we finally saw a pediatrician who took an x-ray, only to discover that he was constipated, backed up from top to bottom. A series of enemas fixed the problem. Years later he began screaming all the time again. I assumed it was constipation as before. We saw a health practitioner, however, who found that this time he suffered from a duodenal ulcer. Once he was treated for that condition, the screaming stopped. So ruling out physical issues is critical, especially since such problems could be extremely painful at best or even life-threatening at worst.

[web]

What do you do if the person is able to communicate what they want, but still screams at a deafening level when you tell them they can't have
whatever the item is at that time? My daughter is non-verbal at age 11. Often when she does this, however I know what she wants.

[veronicasanchez]

What was the solution though just cater to the child ? Hate to say it but l did and now it seems like she does it even more 🙏🏻😭anybody have any other suggestions is there some type of calming medication not that I’m quick to medicate but we have 3 other children and it is surely exhausting mentally just hearing the screaming from sun up to sun down it seems she uses it because she likes the vibration or sensation when she yells but for all of the rest of us hmm well not so much

[Christine-nlok]

So basically just give them what they want as long as they don’t scream for it... not really helpful is it when you have stopped them having something for a reason. So if they want more and more food, and they have already had enough as long as they don’t keep screaming you just keep feeding!?!? How is that a answer to the problem!!!

[dabunnyrabbit]

yeah do it just like that, dude there is only one thing I can say about your advice...

[yvonnedowell]

I have new neighbors (which I haven't met yet or even seen). There is a child, I'm guessing about 4 years old, who screams all the time. Sometimes well past 11PM. I believe this child is non verbal. Her screams don't sound like they are for attention or due to pain or something annoying her. They just sound like she likes to hear herself. I say this because the screams have a certain harmony and are the exact same each time. Also because there is another child there who seems to like to taunt her. When this happens she doesn't scream. She cries out.
We have a common wall between us and it's a very thin wall.
I don't know what to do. Is there any advice for me as a neighbor about what I can do to help or how to handle this situation?