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Taffy
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| Posted: Jan 01 2007 at 12:49pm | IP Logged
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I'm posting this question here since I'm not sure if this is related to my son's PDD issues or not but I'm getting desperate for some ideas...
How do you stop the giggles once they start? This happens every single time we are doing anything that requires concentration (such as math, copywork) or any activity where my son's feeling stifled or overwhelmed. It has been happening on a regular basis at Mass  and I'm completely out of ideas as to how to put an end to this behaviour.
Getting stern doesn't help. He quiets for a minute, then starts again. Corporal punishment is not something I prefer doing and doesn't work anyway. Counting to three will work, but again, only for a minute. Asking him if he needs to go outside will get him to stop, but he'll start giggling a minute later!
Usually, I will ignore this kind of thing and insist that he pay attention to what he's doing. And, usually, this works. But the giggles have me stumped! I can't ignore this at Mass, especially during the consecration, without getting very angry and being unfit for communion myself.
I'm at a loss. Please help. 
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Susan
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KC in TX
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| Posted: Jan 01 2007 at 4:56pm | IP Logged
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Taffy,
I think it's his way of coping with the difficulty of concentrating. Do you have something he can do that's inconspicuous such as silly putty? Or some other thing to help redirect his needs a bit?
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Jan 01 2007 at 8:35pm | IP Logged
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I don't have any serious experience in this area, except to say that I used to get serious fits of the giggles when in an uncomfortable situation. I recall vividly reading a play in class in 6th grade, and there was a murder in it. I began to giggle uncontrollably, while the class got angry and told me that it was not funny. 
I wonder if your son is uncomfortable with the idea of crucifixion, even on a subconscious level. Hey, I'm no psychiatrist, but I know that it is a tough subject to grasp, especially for young people.
I can't think of any solution, though I really like KC's suggestion of silly putty as a distracting item that isn't too disturbing to others. Will pray that an answer comes quickly! 
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Willa
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| Posted: Jan 01 2007 at 9:17pm | IP Logged
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Taffy, Aidan does the same thing. We aren't doing school intensely enough for it to happen with academics, but he does it at Mass. I don't have any help for you but your son is not the only one, then.
What we DO do now at Mass and other occasions when he's out of step with appropriateness (but it doesn't stop the behavior for good, just manages it temporarily) is just look him in the eye and say very quietly and solemnly to stop. "No laughing at Mass, Aidan" "Aidan, be quiet." kind of thing. Sometimes he pauses and starts again, sometimes he gasps and looks at us in horror as if we'd threatened him! embarrassing in Church! and sometimes he cooperates. So it's inconsistent. It's usually an ongoing management thing.
If he did it at home with I think I'd just try to keep redirecting him. OK, Aidan, but now let's finish up this last one, and then we can play type of thing. Have you tried a timer? Aidan's SLP has a big one that's easy to read and sets it for 5 minute increments with fun breaks in between. Obviously it wouldn't work for Mass -- maybe a missal though? especially if you went through it beforehand with him to show him the "flow" of how it goes.
I don't know what your son is like but Aidan is challenging to discipline. Punishment has not been the answer for him, it overloads him and sets him back, and we rarely use it. We feel like we have a steering wheel situation -- continual subtle redirections ALL the time. Not ALL day; most of the time he's easy to take care of; but during key moments like at mass or in line at the grocery store or times like those. I think the idea of having something to do with his hands is a good one -- saving it for future reference!
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Taffy
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| Posted: Jan 01 2007 at 10:04pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for the hints, I'm starting to feel a bit better now. 
KC, I think you are right about why my boy is doing this. It's definitely related to stress from a variety of things. I might try the silly putty idea but I'm afraid that I can see him getting into a lot of trouble with it at church and with his brothers.
MacBeth, it's good to know that I'm not alone here. I remember as a teen laughing hysterically at a horror movie. My cousins were shocked at my behaviour but I simply couldn't help myself. I don't think it's anything to do with the crucifixion though. He went through a period where he'd dash out the side door towards the parish hall immediately after receiving communion to gaze at the crucifix hanging there. It is more lifelike than the one in the church. But it is an idea...
Willa, thanks for the suggestions. I'm afraid that I've tried all of these to no avail. They used to work but they haven't been for the last two weeks or so. Part of this may be due to his schedule being thrown off due to the holiday season and all of the junk food we've been eating. I've been doing some lessons with him throughout as he likes doing them. It's only when the work becomes challenging or he is unsure of the correct answer that this starts happening.
I've come up with one idea, though, that we'll be testing out. He enjoys classical music ever since going through "The Listening Program" and he's REALLY been enjoying learning how to play the piano. I'm going to try playing some Beethoven or Mozart when he starts into the giggles and see if it helps to distract him. If it works, I may ask our priest about letting him listen to music at a very low level using mini-headphones during Mass. I'm pretty sure he'll be OK with it - especially after the way he acted today - as he's very understanding but I don't want him to feel insulted when he sees my son with headphones at Mass!
I'll let you know if it helps.
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MEBarrett
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| Posted: Jan 02 2007 at 9:03am | IP Logged
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It is definitely a sensory reaction to stress. Have him keep a bumpy ball in his pocket to rub when he feels the giggles coming on. Ryan used a toy that was a series of links that could be linked into a circle or other circular shapes. It was bumpy and smooth and fiddling with it helped soothe the overload in his head.
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Taffy
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| Posted: Jan 02 2007 at 9:41am | IP Logged
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Thanks, Mary Ellen. The bumpy ball sounds like a good idea too. I might try that one first.
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Susan
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Taffy
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| Posted: Jan 22 2007 at 8:56pm | IP Logged
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Well, we seem to have found a solution to this! 
It was definitely a stress issue. At home with teaching, I've found that keeping my voice low and even and completely ignoring his giggling seems to be doing the trick. I will simply repeat the question he's working on or bring his attention back to his work, in a very quiet and low-key matter. So far, so good.
As far as Mass goes...
I asked this question on another elist I'm on and got the suggestion to do something calming before we start. This hit a trigger with me as I'm usually all stressed out trying to get everyone to the church on time!  So, yesterday I made a point of having everyone ready 45 minutes before we had to go. Then, we went through a decade of the rosary, very calmly and with a low voice. I had the boys take turns leading. I then allowed them to take their rosary to church. We have a 20 minute ride to church so I wasn't sure how the calmness would remain. Also, we were only about 3-4 minutes early for Mass so we didn't have any time to really relax. BUT, LogoBoy did much better! It probably helped that our priest had a bad cold and didn't give a homily (shortest Mass in my life)! But, it's optimistic at any rate.
Thought I'd post this in case someone else is facing a similar issue and might find it helpful...
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Theresa
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| Posted: Jan 22 2007 at 9:46pm | IP Logged
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Taffy, I'm glad to hear that you have found some things that are working. I've enjoyed reading through the replies here.
I like the bumpy ball idea and even the silly putty (although with my boys who knows where it would end up!) 
I thought of a squisy ball... one of those stress reliever ones that you can mush and then it will return to shape. I used to have a cow that I would use in the car when driving (as a passenger) was making me nervous.
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4Real Forums : Special Blessings
Topic: The giggles...
