As parents and caregivers to children on the spectrum, you may find yourself wondering every now and again, why they did what they did and question the link between impulse control disorder and autism. Impulsive behaviors can go hand in hand in childhood and is a way that children test their environment and learn different skills like self control, along with actions and repercussions.
As human beings we have natural, knee jerk reactions that are a part of our fight or flight response, like moving away from an object coming towards us, that are meant to keep us alive in our environment. There are also functions that occur without us thinking about them and willing them to happen, like our heart beating.
As we mature and develop more abstract concepts, like executive function and other actions that require the use of the prefrontal cortex in our brain, start growing and maturing. Executive functioning is required when it is necessary to plan, create, focus, implement, recollect, manage tasks and goals, as well as name and have an ability to control our impulses.
Read more at: https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/autism-impulse-control-disorder/
