Try this free printable to understand your twins behavior and how to best help them. If you are new to autism, this is a great way to start learning!

Have you been told that your autistic twins just did something “for no reason”? When you are first learning about autism, it can be difficult to pick apart behaviour, and why your autistic twins, triplets or quadruplets act in a certain way. Other parents may say this is because the child is naughty, you are a bad parent, or they just acted that way for no reason. Thankfully, we know this is not true and we just need to put a little work into figuring out what is going on. Whether your twins, triplets or quadruplets are diagnosed or not, understanding their behavior can help.

Is behaviour communication?

If you are new to autism, you may not understand what behaviors look like or why autistic people act in certain ways. There is a common phrase that is used – behavior is communication – meaning that people do things for certain reasons and by understanding those reasons, we can get to the bottom of the behavior. Looking at the behavior can really help us to understand why a child does certain things. For example, when a child is tired they may be more likely to act out or cry.

What is the ABC method?

In the 1960s, psychologists were interested in learning more about how behavior was related to psychology. During this time, cognitive and behavioral psychology led to the rise of commonly known practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and the action, behavior, consequence ABC charting that we are discussing today. These ideas are still popular today, especially when attempting to understand and change behavior.

From a neurodivergent affirming perspective, these methods can be criticised for the emphasis on trying to change an autistic person’s behavior into a non-autistic behavior. We do not advocate for attempting to change a neurodivergent behavior away! We instead are trying to understand is if there are associations between behaviors and how we can find a safer way to satisfy the need.

How do I do it?

To use ABC charting, we need to watch for three things. Antecedents are known as triggers. To understand antecedents, we need to look at what the situation was when the behavior occurred. Behaviors are pretty straightforward – what did the twins do? Did they run away, cover their ears, hide under a table, refuse to enter the room? Consequences are outcomes – what happened next? Did the twins get attention, even if it is negative attention? Did they escape the situation?

For example, if your twins refuse to sit at the table during dinner, you might be able to learn what is causing this. For example is it sensory (certain smells, too bright, too loud)? Are they just not hungry because they had a snack? Are they trying to avoid eating because they would prefer to do something else, such as watch a television show or play outside? Once you have determined the trigger, watch for the consequences (e.g., attention, escape from the situation). Identifying these patterns can help you decide how to approach the antecedents (triggers).

Get started today

If you are ready to better understand your autistic twins behavior, get started with our free ABC chart download! Have you used ABC charting with your autistic twins? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

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