Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Lanre Duyile, has urged parents, teachers, healthcare professionals and policymakers to look beyond challenging behaviours displayed by people with autism, stressing that every behaviour communicates a need and should be understood rather than punished.
Duyile made the call during his presentation at the 16th GTCO Autism Conference, themed “Acceptance in Action,” where he explored the relationship between awareness, acceptance and behaviour management in autism.
He said while awareness of autism has improved over the years, the journey to genuine acceptance is often hindered by confusion and the misinterpretation of behaviours.
“The land between awareness and acceptance is riddled with confusion because people don’t know what is going on. Parents, teachers and policymakers become confused about the condition, and that confusion leads to misinterpreting behaviours and attitudes,” he said.
According to him, every behaviour has meaning and understanding that meaning is essential to achieving meaningful acceptance and inclusion.
“Behaviour speaks. Every behaviour that a person engages in has a meaning. If we are trying to help people accept who they are, we also have to understand the behaviours we see,” he said.
Duyile explained that autism is diagnosed through behavioural observation rather than laboratory tests, making careful observation and interpretation of behaviour critical to effective support.
“There is no blood test or medical instrument used to diagnose autism. Diagnosis is based on behaviour and developmental milestones. Everything is behaviour,” he said.
He noted that behaviours generally occur for one of two reasons, either to seek comfort or reinforcement, or to avoid situations or stimuli that are distressing.
Using real-life case studies from his clinical practice, Duyile demonstrated how analysing behavioural patterns can help caregivers identify the underlying causes of challenging behaviours instead of relying on assumptions or punishment.
He recounted the case of a 39-year-old woman who repeatedly cried and bit her wrist. By analysing six months of incident reports, he identified recurring behavioural patterns that helped guide appropriate intervention.
In another example, he described a young man who repeatedly induced vomiting despite having no underlying medical condition. Through a scatterplot analysis of recorded incidents, he discovered that the behaviour consistently occurred when the individual was left alone while caregivers attended to others.
“The staff thought they were correcting him by asking him to clean up, but what he actually wanted was attention. Behaviour speaks, and if you don’t understand it, your intervention may reinforce the behaviour instead of reducing it,” he explained.
He also cited the case of a young girl who frequently destroyed household items. Further behavioural analysis revealed that the outbursts were triggered by the sound of a neighbour playing basketball, a sensory stimulus that distressed her.
According to Duyile, providing the child with noise-cancelling headphones addressed the problem more effectively than punishment or repeated reprimands.
He emphasised that there is currently no medication specifically developed to treat autism itself.
“There is no medication created to treat autism. What we have is behaviour management, understanding behaviours and responding appropriately,” he said.
Duyile encouraged parents and professionals to document behavioural patterns over time using tools such as scatterplots and functional behaviour assessments to identify triggers before deciding on interventions.
He also advised parents to provide healthcare professionals with detailed behavioural records during medical consultations to improve assessment and support.
He concluded that achieving genuine acceptance requires continuous learning and a willingness to understand the reasons behind behaviours.
“If you want acceptance to happen, invest in educating yourself on why behaviours occur. Behaviours tell us everything. Watch the behaviours, understand the clues, ask why they are happening and work with professionals to find appropriate solutions,” he said.