Totally agree with you, Lynn. You gotta use what works.
Although I try not to raise my voice when I *am* angry, I do try to *seem* angry when he is engaged in, or is about to engage in, dangerous behaviours.
And that makes sense, because he's got autism so he's not going to pick up on subtle nuances of expression. It has to be exaggerated for him to even notice. If your child is hard of hearing, you talk louder, enunciate more, etc. Same thing.
When Michael was much younger (3 or 4), we had a terrible time disciplining him, or stopping him from, say, chewing on electrical cords, because he totally did not get the whole cause and effect thing. Yelling to get his attention and prompt re-direction was pretty much our only option. Spanking him at that point would have been pointless and cruel. Life got much easier for us when he started to understand that choices have consequences.
PJ
