dysinhibition strategies

[dasu]

I have two PANDAS kids and, as a family, we struggle with their behavior and interactions with us and eachother. During flares they exhibit a lot of anxiety, impulsivity, hyperactivity, fatigue, anger, ODD, OCD, etc. My son also has a few minor tics so I decided to read up on tics and then Tourettes http://www.tsa-usa.org/Education/UnderstandingTSBehaviors.htm. Specifically,

 

For those with dysinhibition, a sign saying “Don’t Touch, Wet Paint” is an invitation to touch the paint. Obeying the sign means inhibiting the very behavior suggested by the sign. Inhibiting behaviors is challenging for all children, but presents a far greater challenge for students with TS due to their impulsivity and inconsistent ability to apply their mental brakes. This is not purposeful disobedience, but the inconsistent dysfunction of a brain affected by the chemical imbalances that cause TS.

One thing that I found interesting was their description of dyshibition and it seems fitting particularly for my son. We have noticed that when given a command he does the opposite. "Dont touch that wire" is an invitation to touch. There is also a range of things we avoid because the thoughts keep on bouncing around both in their own heads, or worse between the two of them, for example body fat and obesity, private parts.

 

The document mentions dysinhibition strategies and doesnt really cover what strategies one can use. I searched latitudes and found nothing. Is anyone here familiar with what strategies can be employed to help them solve the problem? We currently just try not to give rules (e.g. just hide the bottle of spray lysol rather than tell them not to touch), try the power of distraction or just say no (many many times...)

Edited March 26, 2015 by dasu