How to Prevent Your Autistic Child from Breaking TVs & Electronics: Effective, Cost-Saving Strategies

As a parent, you know the struggle... a sudden sensory reaction, an outburst of frustration, or just the powerful curiosity of a child can turn your expensive electronics into a costly accident. For parents raising autistic children, keeping devices safe from the family TV to the gaming console presents a unique challenge.

The result is often high frustration for everyone and a significant financial hit. But you can implement effective, autism-specific strategies to protect your TVs and electronics while maintaining a safe and engaging home environment.

1. The Foundation: Understanding Destructive Behaviour in Autistic Children

To safeguard your devices, you must first understand the why behind the action. For autistic children, destructive behaviour around electronics is rarely malicious; it's a form of communication or self-regulation.

Common Reasons for Breakage or Damage:

• Sensory Seeking or Overload: Throwing, hitting, or breaking an object can be a response to hyper sensory input, an attempt to relieve pressure, or a search for intense tactile/visual feedback.

• Frustration or Communication Barrier: When a child struggles to communicate their needs or feelings, frustration can build up and lead to an outburst directed at the nearest object.

• Stimming Behaviour: Repetitive actions, like tapping a screen or rapidly pressing buttons, may unintentionally cause damage over time.

• Curiosity and Play: Simple exploration or a lack of understanding of the item's fragility.

💡 Actionable Step: Start a brief log. Note the time, device, and preceding event (e.g., loud noise, denied access to electronic device, near nap time) to help you identify patterns and anticipate cues.

2. Physical Barriers: Essential Childproofing for Electronics

Childproofing is not just for cabinets and drawers; your electronics can benefit from it too! Childproofing your electronics is one of the most immediate and cost-effective ways to prevent breakages, saving you hundreds in repairs or replacements. Consider these childproofing measures:

A. Protect Your Screen: The TV Screen Protector Solution

The large, flat surface of a modern television screen is often the biggest, most vulnerable target. Accidental impact from a thrown toy, a self-regulatory head bump, or a swift hand can instantly shatter the display.

• The Solution: A high-quality TV Screen Protector can absorb impact, preventing scratches, cracks, and permanent damage. This investment can save you a new TV purchase.
  

• Our Recommended Provider for Durability: Based on our experience, we recommend looking at the range provided by The Screen Protector. Their products are designed to be highly durable and stand up to significant impact, which is crucial in homes with active children.

Note: This is not a paid advertisement. We believe this product could be a genuine lifesaver for families managing the safety of their TVs and electronics alongside the needs of their autistic children. You can view their options here:

B. Secure Furniture & Devices

• Furniture Anchors: Secure your large TV (especially flat-screens) and any tall shelving units to the wall using furniture straps or anchors. This prevents dangerous tipping if your child climbs on or bumps the stand.
  

• Cord Management: Use covers or secured boxes to hide or shorten trailing power cables, which can be tempting to pull, leading to the device crashing down.

Here are a few places you can buy these from (all non-paid!):

1. Cable Tidy

2. D-Line Cable Management

3. TV Strap Anchors

3. Environmental and Behavioural Strategies

While barriers stop immediate damage, these strategies address the underlying causes and promote positive interaction.

Offer Alternatives and Redirection

Instead of focusing on stopping the behaviour, focus on redirecting the need behind it.

• Provide Safe Alternatives: If your child seeks intense tactile feedback (e.g., banging), offer approved items like soft blocks, pillows, durable sensory toys, or a punching bag in the play area. This satisfies the sensory need without risking damage to the electronics.
  

• Create "No-Go" Zones: Designate rooms like an office or a gaming den as off-limits or strictly supervised usage areas. This pre-emptively reduces the opportunity for costly accidents.

  
  

Establish Clear, Consistent Boundaries

Consistency is vital for building understanding and trust.

• Visual Schedules and Rules: Use visual aids (like animated scene pictures) to show expected behaviour around the TV and other electronics (e.g., hands on lap, sit down, one gentle press).
  

• Model Positive Interaction: Play together on the devices. By watching you use the remote gently or handle the tablet with care, your child learns how to handle the electronics.

Teach Consequences with Empathy

Connect the child's action to a relatable outcome, not just punishment.

• Simple, Relatable Explanation: Use direct language: "If we throw the controller, it breaks. If it breaks, we can't play the video game together anymore."
  

• Role-Play Scenarios: Use a favourite toy to illustrate gentleness. Role-playing the proper care of the toy helps them understand the concept of taking care of belongings, including electronics.

Final Thoughts: Patience and Protection

Curiosity and sensory needs are natural parts of childhood, but they don't have to result in broken devices. By understanding your child's cues, implementing strong physical childproofing options like a TV Screen Protector (which could potentially be a massive cost saver), and consistently teaching boundaries, you are setting up both your child and your electronics for success.

Patience is the ultimate tool. You are creating a safer environment that respects your child's needs while protecting your valuable technology.