Autism property destruction, which includes breaking, throwing, and damaging objects, usually has a purpose behind it that a child cannot yet communicate another way. Finding that purpose is the first step toward changing the behavior safely.
Achieve ABA Therapy Group helps Colorado families do exactly that, through individualized ABA services built around each child’s needs.
Autism Property Destruction: What It Looks Like and Why It Happens
Property destruction means behavior that damages objects, from throwing a toy to breaking a window. In ABA, we treat it as behavior with a purpose, which means the purpose can be found and a better option can be taught.
What Counts as Property Destruction
Common examples include throwing items, ripping books, kicking or punching walls, smashing screens, and sweeping things off tables. Researchers group it with aggression and self-injury as challenging behaviors that can interfere with learning and social interaction.
It can appear at any age, and it ranges from occasional to daily.
Four Common Functions of Behavior
Behavior analysts look at what a behavior gets or avoids for the child. Four functions come up again and again:
- Escape: the behavior ends or delays a task, place, or person, such as throwing materials to stop a task
- Attention: the behavior brings a reaction from a caregiver or peer, even a stern one
- Access: the behavior gets a preferred item or activity, such as breaking something after hearing “all done”
- Automatic or sensory: the behavior feels good or relieves discomfort no matter what anyone does, such as banging or hurling items for the sound and movement
The same child can show different functions in different settings, which is why guessing rarely works.
Other Factors That Raise the Risk
Several underlying conditions make property destruction more likely. Limited ways to communicate, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, poor sleep, hunger, and changes in routine all lower a child’s threshold.
Pain or illness, including constipation, ear infections, and dental problems, can also drive behavior in a child who cannot say what hurts, so a pediatric check is a smart early step.
Common Triggers for Throwing and Breaking Things
Patterns usually appear once you start noticing what happens right before and right after an episode. These are the triggers parents describe most often.
Demands, Transitions, and Changes in Routine
Stopping a favorite activity, starting homework, or leaving the house can all feel like too much, especially when a child cannot predict what comes next. Throwing the tablet or sweeping the table clear may be the fastest way to stop the demand.
Visual schedules, advance warnings, and short transitions often reduce the pressure.
Waiting, Hearing “No,” and Losing Access
Many autistic children find waiting and denied requests extremely hard, particularly when they cannot yet say “I want that” or “I’m not done.” If throwing or breaking has gotten the item back in the past, the behavior can strengthen quickly.
Teaching a clear request and practicing short waits builds the alternative.
Sensory Overload and Sensory Seeking
Loud rooms, bright lights, or itchy clothing can push a child past their limit, while other children seek the sound, impact, or movement of crashing things. Telling the two apart shapes the plan. Our post on sensory processing differences explains how sensory needs relate to autism.
Anxiety and Overwhelm After a Long Day
Children who hold themselves together at school may release the pressure at home by throwing or breaking things. Our posts on after-school meltdowns and autism and anxiety describe how stress can look like behavior, and why a calm, predictable afternoon routine helps.
What to Do in the Moment
The peak of an episode is for safety, not teaching. Save the lessons for when everyone is calm.
Keep Everyone Safe
- Move people first, then fragile or dangerous items, rather than chasing objects
- Use few words, a calm voice, and a neutral face
- Offer a safe option your child already knows, such as a break card or a soft item to throw or squeeze
- Stay close enough to supervise without crowding
- Call 911 if anyone is at risk of injury
What to Avoid
- Long explanations or bargaining during the episode
- Shouting or physical struggles over objects
- Handing over the desired item mid-episode, which can teach that breaking things works
Consequences delivered after the fact rarely teach what to do instead. Our post on discipline versus teaching explains the difference.
After It Settles: Repair and Reset
When your child is calm, keep the follow-up short and matter-of-fact. Invite them to help tidy at their level, name what happened in one sentence, and practice the replacement skill, such as asking for a break.
Then jot down what happened before and after so patterns become visible.
How ABA Addresses Property Destruction
Effective plans start with understanding why the behavior happens, then teach something better to do. Our BCBAs build plans around your child’s function, safety, and strengths.
Functional Behavior Assessment
A BCBA begins with a functional behavior assessment, or FBA. We interview caregivers, observe your child in real routines, record what happens before and after each episode, and sometimes assess preferences to understand motivation.
The goal is a clear idea of the behavior’s function that guides every strategy. Safety planning happens alongside it.
Functional Communication Training
Functional communication training, or FCT, teaches a recognizable replacement for the behavior, such as a word, sign, picture card, or device, that earns the same outcome the behavior used to earn. A widely cited practical review describes FCT as one of the most common and effective interventions for severe behavior problems.
In a randomized trial of 38 young autistic children, parents who delivered FCT with telehealth coaching saw an average 98% reduction in problem behavior over 12 weeks, compared with limited change for children receiving usual treatment. Results differ from child to child, and one trial cannot promise your child’s outcome.
Antecedent Strategies and Skill Building
Alongside FCT, we change what happens before the behavior and teach skills that make it unnecessary:
- Visual schedules and first/then supports
- Choices built into demands
- Warnings before transitions
- Break requests that are honored quickly at first
- Waiting practice that starts with very short waits
- Frequent reinforcement for calm, cooperative behavior
- Sensory options that meet the need safely
Safety and Respect in Every Plan
Plans are individualized, data-driven, and written with your input. We focus on teaching new skills, honoring your child’s assent, and reviewing progress with you often.
Our parent training sessions help you use the same strategies between visits.
Practical Ways to Reduce Throwing and Breaking at Home
Small changes at home can lower the number of episodes while your child’s plan takes shape. None replaces an individualized assessment, but they are good places to start.
Six Strategies to Try This Week
- Teach one clear request. Choose the thing your child most often wants, such as a break, help, or attention, and honor the request quickly while it is new.
- Preview transitions. Use a timer, a picture schedule, or a “first, then” card before changes.
- Build choices into demands. “Shoes or jacket first?” keeps the task and shares control.
- Plan safe outlets. Offer soft balls, beanbags, or wall pushes at set times, especially if your child seeks impact or movement.
- Catch calm. Notice and reward calm moments often, not only after hard ones.
- Secure the space. Anchor TVs and heavy furniture, use unbreakable dishes and sturdy screen protectors, and store breakables out of reach.
Protecting Siblings and Property
Throwing and breaking affects the whole family. Agree on a safe place siblings can go, protect prized possessions, and talk openly about what is happening. Our post on sibling dynamics offers ideas for supporting both children.
Tracking What You See
A simple log helps your team. Write down what happened right before, what your child did, and what happened right after, with the time and place. Even a week of notes can reveal whether demands, waiting, or sensory triggers are in play.
Getting Support for Property Destruction in Colorado
Colorado families have more options than many realize, and reaching out early gives your team more room to teach.
Insurance and Health First Colorado
Colorado law requires state-regulated health plans issued or renewed after July 1, 2010 to cover assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders in children, including ABA. Self-funded employer plans may be exempt, so check your own plan.
Health First Colorado, the state’s Medicaid program, publishes criteria for behavioral therapies that list destruction of property among examples of a safety risk to self or others, along with documentation such as a prescription and a BCBA-signed treatment plan. Criteria change over time and coverage varies, so confirm current requirements. Our team can help you review your insurance options.
How Our Colorado Teams Help
We provide in-home ABA across the state, and support can follow the behavior into other settings:
- School-based support works with teachers and IEP teams when behavior shows up in class
- Daycare ABA supports younger children where they spend their days
- Early intervention services serve children under six, when many are still learning to communicate
- Back-to-school preparation helps children get ready for new routines
- Weekend sessions fit work schedules
- Group home therapy supports older individuals alongside staff
If you do not yet have a formal autism diagnosis, our diagnosis page explains how evaluations work.
Families reach us in Denver, Aurora, Centennial, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Parker, and Castle Rock, along with Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Grand Junction, Longmont, and Loveland.
When to Seek Urgent Help
If anyone is at risk of injury, call 911. For emotional crisis support, call or text 988, or reach Colorado Crisis Services at 1-844-493-8255 or by texting TALK to 38255. Walk-in crisis centers operate in communities including Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Greeley.
Tell your pediatrician about injuries, self-injury, or sudden changes in behavior.
A Safer Path Forward for Autism Property Destruction
Autism property destruction becomes more manageable once you know why it happens and what your child can do instead.
Start With One Pattern
This week, choose one situation where throwing or breaking happens most, such as leaving the park or starting homework. Write down what comes before and after, and try one change: a warning, a choice, or a break card. Small, consistent changes give your team clear information to build on.
Talk With Our Colorado Team
You do not have to sort this out alone. Complete our intake form, or contact us to talk through what you are seeing and how our team can help.
Autism Property Destruction FAQs
Is breaking things a sign of autism?
Not by itself. Many young children throw things at some point. Frequency, intensity, and context matter, and autism is identified through a full developmental evaluation rather than a single behavior.
Will my child grow out of it?
Some children do as their communication and coping skills grow, but without teaching, patterns can continue. Support is wise, and no one can guarantee how a particular child will progress.
Should I make my child pay for what they break?
Skip punishments that add shame or confusion. A calm, age-appropriate cleanup, paired with practice of a replacement skill, teaches more than a lecture or a lost privilege.
How long does ABA take to reduce property destruction?
Timelines vary with the function of the behavior, your child’s communication skills, and how consistently strategies are used across settings. Your BCBA tracks data and will share progress with you regularly.
Sources
- 988 Colorado. (n.d.). 988 Colorado Mental Health Line. https://988colorado.com/
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Colorado insurance requirements for autism spectrum disorder. https://asha.org/advocacy/state/info/co/colorado-insurance-requirements-for-autism-spectrum-disorder
- Colorado Behavioral Health Administration. (n.d.). Colorado Crisis Services. https://coloradocrisisservices.org/
- Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. (2024). Health First Colorado criteria for behavioral therapies. https://hcpf.colorado.gov/sites/hcpf/files/PBT%20Criteria%20Update%20November%202024.pdf
- Lindgren, S., Wacker, D., Schieltz, K., Suess, A., Pelzel, K., Kopelman, T., Lee, J., Romani, P., & O’Brien, M. (2020). A randomized controlled trial of functional communication training via telehealth for young children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(12). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7572463
- Tiger, J. H., Hanley, G. P., & Bruzek, J. (2008). Functional communication training: A review and practical guide. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1(1), 16–23. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2846575
Clinically reviewed by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at Achieve ABA Therapy Group. Last updated October 2026.