When dealing with a child who can neither talk nor know much, it is crucial to choose the moment when you can react immediately to reward or discourage. It is better to take action to prevent bad behavior or, if that is not possible, to take action as soon as the behavior begins, which may work better than allowing the child to do something naughty or dangerous and then punishing them later. It seems that there is little point in punishing if he is already having fun doing what is forbidden. Many parents find that their children are not frightened by a slap on the wrist after they have done something wrong. They may even laugh or gleefully anticipate the slap as a routine consequence of a certain behavior. Psychologists say it’s strange that in this case the slap served as a reward. Another problem is that children with poor verbal understanding can easily be confused about the reasons their parents express disapproval. Second, it is important to try to understand why the child is behaving in a particular way. It is helpful to remember that a child with autism’s behavior, although it often seems odd and unusual, always has a specific, logical reason behind it. Meaning, it is nothing more than a simple response by a child with a disability who is faced with a complex situation that he cannot understand. Research on behavior modification methods, shows that children tend to repeat behaviors that have led to rewards in the past and stop behaviors that are not rewarded. Third, your response should be consistent. If you stop a problem behavior at times and let it go at other times, the effect seems to be worse than not taking action at all. People generally find that inconsistent approach than overly strict or overly tolerant of the difficulties arising. But consistency is difficult to achieve. It is better to resolve to take a firm stand on the most significant behavioral issues and leave those that are not particularly inconvenient alone. This compromise will produce an appropriate loosening of anger and will also allow the child to recognize that there are limits and that he cannot exceed them. Fourth, you should react in a way that is easily understood by the child. Talking to prevent an autistic child from breaking a glass window is simply not effective. Shouting at him may distract him initially, but after a while he will get used to it. If you get angry after the window breaks and it is very obvious, doing so may have the opposite effect of your original intent. An autistic child who does not understand the meaning of rage may think that an angry parent is a fun and exciting thing to do, and thus he is encouraged rather than discouraged. This is especially likely to happen when he is left alone when he is quiet; and when he is the center of attention when he makes a mess. A more effective way is to act before the window breaks, hold him and get him out of the way. This has the advantage of turning the situation into a hug, or a tickle game, or going to do whatever you know your child likes to do. The important principle is that if you want to improve your child’s general behavior, you should help him find positive, constructive things to do.