Spanking and Asperger Syndrome

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People with Asperger's Syndrome have brain overgrowth, high iq, sensitive to loud noise, lack empathy, and have poor interpersonal skills. Is this just caused by a lack of discipline at a young age? Studies have shown spanking between the ages of 2 and 6 decreases brain growth and can lower iq, but is that necessarily a bad thing? Perhaps this causes the brain to adapt so that it is less sensitive and can therefore better handle stress in adulthood. Studies have also shown that we are born with an infants' brain, but that it adapts in young age. So if you do not spank and yell at your child and properly discipline them, then could they retain these infant qualities of self centeredness, temper-tantrums, oversensitivity to noise and stress, lack of responsiveness to other people, etc... So it would be a trade off.

Reduced prefrontal cortex
Brain overgrowth autism

I don't know in general and I am not claiming to be a scientist (far from it!) but it didn't help me and my brother. We've both got ADHD as well (I've got AS he hasn't) so it could be to do with that as negative reinforcement doesn't often work well on ADHD kids. In England it has become socially unnacceptable to smack your child and I've noticed a rise in delinquent behaviour since this so I think it does have an important part to play in a child's development. If Mum hadn't smacked me for running into the road without looking, maybe I would still be doing it!

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

People with Asperger's syndrome don't necessarily have a higher IQ than average.

I have a higher IQ than average, I do not deal with stress very well and I am sensitive to sounds and bright lights and I was spanked.

Thats a valid point actually - UK no smacking thing is causing a rise in aggressive children with no fear of authority figures.
You need to put across the point that authority figures are there to either protect you from dangerous places or to stop you being dangerous to others.
I think its daft - you wont stop child abuse by prevent smacking, as they will do it anyway.
Look at lions - if a lioncub is crawling over its mother, and hes biting her a bit too hard, she clobbers him off with her paw. Quick! Quick! Take him away its abuse!
Animals learn not to do certain things because the recieve a painfull experience. You dont put your hand in fire twice do you? Discipline is the same thing - a child with limited learning ability is not going to remember your carefully worded reason why he should run into the road. A quick smack and a sharp NO! is remembered for a long time!
People need to remember that in a world without fear, there is no rules either. I do agree with moderation however.

Do not spank.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/c ... 8.full.pdf

Case closed.

Someone should lock this thread.

How about we offer people parenting classes so they stop being sh***y parents instead of encouraging sh***y parents smack their kids to turn them into fine upstanding adults. Sensory overload? Smack. Stimming? Smack. Don't want to go out and play with the other kids? Smack.Banging your head on the table? Smack. Getting bullied at school? Smack. There's nothing wrong with these kids today that a good smack won't cure.

I hardly think so, I was beaten senselessly, including about the head (dragged by hair/head slammed into wall, or just head beaten into the wall) from a very young age until approximately 17. I was beaten approximately 5-10 times per week depending upon my "offenses"/my parents' moods.

If my brain were going to be beaten tiny then by God it would sure be tiny by now.

I was spanked growing up but according to my mother she only did it about five times in my life to me. But yet she will also admit she would hit us kids when she lose her temper or get angry at us because she got it from her father and it took her years to break that habit he taught her. I guess she doesn't count those as spankings. I think she hit me more than she did with my brothers though because her told me she learned patience from me. I didn't see her hit my brothers often like she did with me. I just thought then I was a bad kid because I was always getting into trouble and why was it so hard to stay out of it?

I don't think my learning problems were caused by spankings or me scoring low on IQ tests in my childhood. My brothers were never spanked that often and one of them has a high IQ and the other seems to have some learning problems which didn't get noticed until 6th grade. He couldn't even do college because it was too hard for him so he dropped out. But yet he made it through school without an IEP and 504 plan. He just struggled is all.

BTW your post just sounds like the refrigerator mother theory.

"Do not spank.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/c ... 8.full.pdf

Case closed.

Someone should lock this thread."

I agree, spanking is child abuse. This thread should be locked. WP shouldn't be a forum for sick child abusers. Please people, don't give Aspies, etc. a bad name.

My apologies to the concept of free speech. This thread should not be locked. Yet.

To be perfectly honest, I locked the silly thing because it riled me. Both sides of this riled me. And I thought for sure this was bound to turn into a flame war.

It may still, in which case it probably will get locked, but it doesn't have to.

I come down in the middle of this to be honest.

Spanking is not child abuse if it is done correctly, but this theory is just ridiculous IMO.

Also, the source study cited wasn't about spanking. It was about the effects of harsh corporal punishment. Not simple corporal punishment. They aren't talking about simple spankings. Spankings when done correctly are not harsh.

That enough from me. The thread is now unlocked.

Carry on.

Bump.

i have an MD and have been following studies on this topic for years. children who are spanked are more anxious, more angry, more aggressive and more likely to become delinquent than children who are not hit. anybody who thinks spanking is okay just hasn't done their homework.

My parents always warned me ahead of time and used my name to get my attention. If I proceeded behaving badly I got spanked, but nothing severe enough to cause injuries. Afterwards, I was sent to my room and much later they spoke to me in order to help me understand why I had been punished. I think I turned out okay. The problem occurs when children get spanked for no clear reason so they develop anxiety, depression, and learned helplessness. I don't think this type of parenting works for every child, but I def believe some kids need to be spanked...there is too many narcissistic behaviors nowadays. As far as what the OP mentioned about smaller brains...there is actually studies showing that negativity alters brain chemicals and can make you dumber. After being in an abusive relationship I felt like I was getting dumber because I noticed that I became more general and lacking in details and substance in my language.

"Spanking" did nothing but contribute to my anxiety issues.

Hitting is hitting.

As far as I'm concerned, a smack across the bum is equal to a slap across the face. The extent to which people will rationalize hitting their hits always amazes me.