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Question:
My son is a 6 yrs old with asperger's (autism). He use to masturbate until he had ulcerations. He still masturbates excessively. I know this is a form of self stimulation common in autism. But, what can I do to help curb this activity. He will do this to the exclusion of almost everything else.
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Answer:
by Melissa BEE: (05/21/2004)
Sorry for the delay in responding to your question.
The issue here is that he has no self control.
He has learned that masturbation gives him pleasure, so he pleasures himself often and frequently. Stimulating activities that are pleasurable are common in autistics, but one would expect a child of six to be stimulated by less sexual things than masturbation.
I'm also going on the assumption that your son does not have precocious puberty, and is NOT going through puberty. If he has pubic, axillary and facial hair growth, then you have a bigger problem than one of masturbation. I gather he is a (physically) normal six year old with an inappropriate obsession.
Constant masturbation is a common part of puberty and is considered 'normal' in all young boys 13-18 going through the changes of puberty, where the testosterone is released in waves (sometimes every 20 minutes) and the urge to stroke, touch, and ejaculate the penis is almost overwhelming. In your sons case, its not a testosterone driven activity (heaven help you if this behaviour isn't under control by then) instead his behaviour is fuelled by an autistic obsession and a need for stimming and the 'fix' that the reward of masturbation gives him.
My suggestion for him would be to give him a proper sexual education, or start teaching him about his body, and also try to get him obsessed by something else that will give him pleasure - rather than punishing for 'bad or unacceptable' behaviour. It may turn out in the end that the only effective approach is to punish him, so it acts as a deterrent, but auties learn better by the praise and reward methods. If another activity is pleasurable and LESS likely to get him into trouble, he will opt for that instead.
I'm not sure what sort of activity can replace frequent masturbation, but something obviously that gives him an adrenaline fix - because thats what he is hooked on. There may also be other active strategies you may have to employ, such as NEVER leaving him alone, escorting him to the toilet, sleeping in the same bed with him etc in order to break the obsession. At his age it is certainly unhealthy and likely to become exacerbated when puberty does kick in.
Also, for your own sake get in touch with an Autism Support Group, a local one if at all possible. If not, there are hundreds of support organisations online. If you are unable to locate the info you need, just let me know where you live (town/state) and I can chase some up for you. The parents of autistic boys will be able to give you some tips and feedback as well as much needed support, over many issues so you don't feel so alone coping with all your sons problems.
Please feel free to ask any further questions, and thank you for coming to The Sexual Health Network
Melissa BEEReviewed by Sexual Health Editorial Team
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