hi, my son has been getting these exploding temper tantrums, and they been more and more frequent and very severe.he starts kicking his legs,swinging, hitting anything and everything around him,throwing things, and screaming,crying. he seems to be obsessed in a phase of some sort, he keeps yelling out the same thing, but we cant understand what hes saying, and there is nothing anyone can do when hes acting like that to calm him down. ive tried everything from hugging him, to grabbing his hands together, even giving him a toy, he just throws it in his rage. ive watched the "autism everyday", and the kids throwing tantrums in the video dont even come close to how severe my sons episodes are. he is 3 years old, and is very hyperactive as well,and has some delays in language, and i cant get him off the bottle or pottie trained.his family dr finally seem him at his worst last week and is making an appiontment at the childrens hospital in pittsburgh for an eveluation.but what do i do in the meantime?is there anything at all i can do when hes having these fanatic temper tantrums?i cant take him anywhere anymore, either.we went to the mall saturday, he starting having one of his "meltdowns in the sears store,it took three of us to try to detain him,he broke stuff in the store,and was throwing things at people in a mad ,crying,screaming rage.he was so strong, three of us could not even get him in the stroller, he had his legs locked up so tight.he gave my friend a black eye, because hes so wild like an animal with rabies, when he gets these attacks.people then were clearing a way for us to get out of the store.then in the car, he was still fighting us so bad, it took awile to get him in the carseat, with him fighting us, and undoing it. then he kept getting the door open, from punching the door so hard.this is my little boy, but thjis behaviour really scares me, why is he acting like this?and whats wrong with him? and what could i of done different to calm him down?please, until he gets in to the dr, im a nervous wreck, trying to find anything that might help the next episode not be so severe??? please, any advice???

These kids seem to do better with routines and patterns, it's when things get unpredictable that they get upset. Keep things simple and predictable until you visit the doctor.

Lots of Autists are still using a bottle when they're over 3 years old, and some never manage to get completely potty trained. Just about the time we resigned ourselves to my granddaughter never catching on to using the potty when needed she caught on and although she still has accidents now and then she is doing much better. We still give her a sippy cup when she wants a drink between meals, otherwise she manages a cup pretty well sitting down to eat at the table.

She just turned 6 and her anger was rarely of the lashing out variety although she gets most frustrated with her big sister and tends to hit and even bite her at times. But it's absolutely heartbreaking to see her have a meltdown where she is simply inconsolable and heartbroken, and repeats things over and over like "I'll never be happy" and "It's my fault, I made a mistake." Mostly she beats herself up, I dunno if that's a gender difference or just her own particular personality.

Hugs...this is tough, I know.

Have you ever tried removing dyes, colorings, preservatives, etc, from his diet?

I have an 8yo who reacts with explosive anger to several dyes (red 40 being a big one), apple juice, grape juice, and several other substances.

Read the labels on the food he is eating. Dyes are in many things.
These kids also tend to be picky eaters, but if you can find things he will eat that are all natural, try just feeding him only natural foods for a few days, and see if the tantrums die out.

Mine will eat fresh fruits and vegetables (often cold or frozen, but not cooked), chicken, turkey, and potatoes, or rice.
It takes 48-72 hours for an offending food to leave his system, so try it for at least a week.

And do go for the evaluation. If nothing else, they can give you some ideas for handling him.

Good luck

Mine never got that bad, but they were bad. My husband or I would have to physically restrain him (usually laying on the floor using our legs to "lock" his legs, and crossing his arms over his chest and holding on). Several times it would last for well over half an hour. We kept telling him once he calmed down we'd let him go, but it was like he didn't hear us.

Like Lunacie said, it's all about routine. Keep a log of everything he does, eats, etc for a week or so and see if you notice any patterns for when his meltdowns happen. Write it all down since it's easier to look back on that rather then trusting to memory. Even if you don't see anything, it may be a help to the dr.

I wouldn't worry about the bottle issue now, and if it makes you feel any better my youngest turned three back in the beginning of November, and we finally just got him potty trained over Thanksgiving weekend. Just worry about getting the correct diagnosis for him, and then go from there. There's lots of help out there for Autism.

*hugs*