Published on 12, July, 2020
My 10 year old son with ASD keeps slamming doors when he's angry and having a meltdown, we have tried to get him to stop and explain (when he's not in an angry mood), but it hasn't really made any difference and he still slams them.
Only today did my son wake up at 6am and start to have a meltdown (lack of sleep due to heat, and because of something that happened yesterday), and then when my husband tried to calm him, my son slammed his bedroom door. Which unfortunately then got my neighbour ringing on our doorbell just after 6am complaining to keep our child from slamming doors (not the first time they rang our bell complaining), which my husband had a real go at her (they conveniently forget he is autistic and have been told on many occasions) which unfortunately my son overheard so now thinks they wish he was dead !! ;0(
I was wondering if anyone has any door slamming issues and if getting soft door closers would help (worried about the safety of them and if they would do more damage to a door if forced).
Any help most welcome.
You have my sympathy. I have lived in a shared house where one of the tenants slammed doors. And it is a nightmare.
I suspect it's his way of communicating his inability to communicate in conventional ways. Or a way of expressing anger issues.
The best way forward will be to tackle his underlying reasons for slamming doors.
Thank you, when he's angry he uses it to try and shut people out so he has no contact with them. I've tried to tell him he can ask us to leave, but he's so angry that I think slamming helps him get some of his aggression out. He has other things in his room to use for aggression release but he doesn't use them !
Unfortunately the underlying reason for the anger is likely to be the lack of sleep due to the heat (which we can't control), and that last night he was angry and hot, we he offered him a cool shower/bath, but he shut us out of his room (screaming and shouting) and told us he would think about it, but eventually he fell asleep. so this morning he was upset he didn't get to choose last night.. (If I'd known it would have caused issues this morning I would have woke him up, but its a difficult balance). I tried to get him to have it this morning but in his mind the time had passed and he couldn't have it then (no win situation).
Its the slamming of the doors and causing problems with our neighbours (as well as damaging the wall) that's worrying at the moment. I'm used to it even though we are trying to teach him other methods, currently with no success..