Do not give in to rigid routines or fixations. Children with autism often have rituals or routines that they feel compelled to perform. Often, the child will demand that others comply with his or her routines as well. For example, I know a young child who must count ten steps as he walks up the steps. If he miscounts or the steps do not add up, the child insists that Mom and he start all over again at the bottom. This is probably similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder behavior. It's as if the child believes something bad will happen if the correct number of steps is not counted or some other routine or ritual is not followed. This actually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once the routine is completed, there is a sense of relief and the "bad thing" doesn't happen.

Stopping the child from performing the routine (or ritual) may result in a severe tantrum. Giving in to the routine (or ritual) after this, reinforces the routine (or ritual) and the tantrum - not a good thing! Don't go out of your way to stop all routines and rituals. The ones that are harmless and do not infringe on other's rights (e.g., lining up cars in the toy room), you can simply ignore and not play along.

But do not allow the child to demand that others comply with their routine or ritual and do not allow it to take over the entire house or school. Tantrums are sure to come, but tantrums are always ignored (unless the child is in physical danger).

When ignoring a behavior that previously received a lot of attention, the behavior will probably get worse before it gets better. Be patient and ignore consistently for at least three weeks (the time it takes to develop a new habit). If the behavior has not decreased, another strategy may be required (perhaps attention is not the motivation for this behavior).