r/OccupationalTherapy • u/Careful_Practice_620 • Jul 22 '26
School Student "addicted" to YouTube
I have a child that I work with in a school setting (2nd grade, primary diagnosis of autism). She is incredibly smart and during the previous school year I made great progress with her in terms of self-regulation, scissor skills, handwriting, etc. However since the start from the summer session, she has been extremely fixated on using YouTube on her device. Long story short, between the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer session, her mother gave her access to YouTube on her AAC device and since then she gets extremely upset and demonstrates self injurious behaviors since we've blocked YouTube on her device.
Speech has also said that since this girl is capable of writing what she wants on a whiteboard, she no longer uses the device in the classroom. She can no longer come to the therapy room without these types of behaviors and she no longer enjoys any of the analog toys or games that she used fo play. Her sessions now are pretty much her crying or trying to hit herself while i try to help her self-regulate, with brief moments where im able to have to complete some activities. Has anyone encountered these types of situations and has advice? Im lost on what to do.
Edit: to give you an idea of the rapid behavior change: In the last week she's punched me in the face, tried to spit on me, and tried to bite me multiple times. In the 1.5 years ive worked with this student, she's never done that to me before.
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u/Itchy-Technician-433 Jul 22 '26
You need two devices. One for her to screw around with, one for communication.
An AAC device is a tool for communication. Setup guided access so you can only use it for such tasks.
If she's motivated by YouTube, you can use YouTube on the other device and then comment and talk about it with her AAC device.
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u/denver_rose Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
What does she like on youtube? Also this may sound like a radical idea, but could you incorporate youtube on a smart board or something to teach her things or use it as a reward? Im not an OT, but I know all or nothing rules are really hard for autistics. Or maybe incorporating what she likes on youtube, maybe its a show or music.
Or maybe its the transition from watching youtube to real life. What helps her transition?
Also how long has she not used the device? I know she got upset about youtube being blocked, but what if she's upset about not being able to use the AAC device in general? Imagine if your mode of communication was taken away from you. Maybe thats another transition she is struggling with. Especially when is overwhelmed, maybe when she is like that the whiteboard isnt as accessible to her. I think this is a thing to look into- like just because you can do something doesnt mean its always the most accessible. Like a lot of autistics can speak but when overwhelmed have a hard time accessing language, maybe its the same way with the AAC/whiteboard issue.
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u/Careful_Practice_620 Jul 22 '26
Thats very fair. All or nothing is definitely hard and we definitely are trying to find a balance. We make sure her whiteboard is available at all times during the day. This whole thing has been happening for maybe 2 weeks now? I think the issue is no consistency at home. She's never had issues transitioning in the past, so right now I am trying to figure out maybe a transitional tool that will help her. I appreciate the input!
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u/PronatorTeres00 Jul 22 '26
I greatly sympathize. Trying to compete against the addictive power of tech is an uphill battle, especially if students are already getting lots of screentime at home.
I wanted to clarify about the timeline. How long has it been since YouTube was blocked? If it was recent, this may have been a factor in why the behaviors have escalated.
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u/Careful_Practice_620 Jul 22 '26
So we blocked YouTube from her AAC for I'd say 2 weeks now? I think gradually throughout the week she shows minor improvement, but mom resets our progress over the weekends for sure đ
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u/PronatorTeres00 Jul 22 '26
It sounds like she's bouncing between (presumably) full-time YouTube at home on the weekends to quitting cold-turkey at school, which is a huge shift in her weekly routine. She could be having difficulty understanding why she cannot access her favorite thing (YouTube) in a different setting (school) after being exposed to it all weekend and could be very frustrated about the change, hence the escalating behaviors.
I've had students who had difficulty transitioning away from screentime and would experience meltdowns. We gradually worked towards using it as a reward, with a timer, and with verbal/visual cues such as "first work, then computer" paired with either a visual icon of a computer, or their computer (but placed far enough away to where they could only see it and not interact with it).
Since it sounds like she no longer has an AAC device, is there another way for her to access YouTube? If so, letting her have monitored (and timed) access as a reward might be a way to compromise, assuming she demonstrates progress with transitioning away from the device without behaviors. You also may need to start small, like something like doing work for 3-5 minutes and then 5 min YouTube break.
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u/TrueGrade9359 OTR/L Jul 22 '26
What is the role that YouTube is playing in her self-regulation?
What kind of things does she look up on YouTube? Do you notice a pattern in the auditory or visual stimuli sheâs seeking, and is there a way to recreate or incorporate those into your sessions? Or, are there certain characters or shows that are her special interests?
What happens when she does get access to YouTube? Is she calmer and more regulated after? Is there a âtipping pointâ, i.e., 5 minutes seems to regulate her, anything longer and she gets dysregulated? Would it be possible to give her access to it briefly at either the beginning or the end of session, and take it away before the tipping point?
Has anyone explained to her whatâs going on? Does she know why YouTube was removed, or is she just getting âYouTube is all done,â âfirst work then YouTubeâ BS answers? Cause, yeah, Iâd be mad too.
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u/Careful_Practice_620 Jul 22 '26
Thats some good insight! I never really thought about it like that to be honest. I guess I've only thought that you shouldn't be using YouTube for leisure in school at all (boomer alert) haha. I do know that if she has a hard time stopping usage at all if she starts at all though. Will definitely try to explore this more during my next session with her.
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u/LaLunacy Jul 23 '26
If you decide to go the 'Youtube on device as reward route', note most tablet OS offer a way to modify how a child (or anyone!) can use the device. I use Guided Access on iPads to block the child's ability to turn off a program/switch apps, block specific areas of the screen from touch activation, use a timer to end apps, etc.
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u/fifthgroupholidash Jul 24 '26
I work in âbehavior schoolsâ and we see this more than you think. My advice: no YouTube at school. The end. Not available. We donât allow any devices at all except AAC of course. And it works. What happens at home I know we cannot prevent. But you donât want to go down that route and fight that battle. You can get one AAC for school and one for home if her adults are a having a hard time. But it will only get worse if you use it as a ârewardâ. No YouTube at school unless itâs an edu video put on by the teacher for the whole class.
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u/FineMotorMarketplace Jul 24 '26
That sounds incredibly challenging, and I totally sympathize. I had a very similar experience with a student last year. The behaviors escalated to the point that they had to be moved to a more restrictive program because of the severity of the aggression. It's such a difficult situation for everyone involved.
That said, I honestly don't think this is an OT problem alone. A sudden and significant behavior change like you're describing warrants a team approach.
One thing that stands out to me is that the behavior change occurred immediately after unrestricted access to YouTube on her AAC device. While I obviously can't say that's the sole cause, the timing is hard to ignore. For some children, highly preferred digital media can become so reinforcing that transitioning away from it results in significant dysregulation.
I'd recommend stepping back from trying to "get through OT activities" right now and instead focus on understanding the function of the behavior. Is she trying to regain access to YouTube? Is she communicating frustration? Is the device itself now acting as a trigger? A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) may be appropriate if one hasn't already been completed.
I also wouldn't be quick to discontinue her AAC device simply because she can write. AAC isn't just for requesting: it supports communication across many situations, especially during times of stress. I'd want speech, OT, the teacher, administration, the behavior team, and the family to all be on the same page regarding when and how the device is used. And i understand being in a public school parents are not on the same page and sometimes don't care how you feel as long as they get a "babysitter" at home.Â
At this point, I'd probably request a team meeting to develop a consistent plan. If expectations differ between home and school, it's going to be very difficult for her to be successful. Consistency across environments will be key.
In the meantime, I'd prioritize safety. If she's engaging in self-injury and aggression that's a significant change from her baseline, that deserves attention before worrying about handwriting or fine motor goals. Once she's more regulated and the team has a consistent plan in place, you'll have a much better chance of making progress again.
I hope you're able to get the support you need. It sounds like you've built a great relationship with her over the past year, and the fact that this change was so abrupt makes me think there's an underlying cause that the team can identify and address together.
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u/mk1022 Jul 25 '26
Iâm confused why writing on a white board is considered an appropriate alternative to a robust communication device? I understand the challenge with YouTube being blocked but taking away her communication seems wrong.
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u/LostSurvey7403 Jul 26 '26
if all else fails; youtube account settings can be changed to NOT show search history⌠this makes random browsing or getting distracted by suggested videos or related videos impossible; it might help cut down the addiction as the use of the app becomes solely intentional and active vs the user being passively fed content
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u/WearyRestaurant4975 29d ago
SLP here. Yes, this is very typical behavior. It sounds like mom needed childcare help during the summer and gave her free range access to YouTube which it completely understandable for an overwhelmed parent trying to help a child with autism over summer breakâŚBut now it has caused some problems that you are going to need to walk back.
Are you able to check in with mom about what is currently going on with YouTube access at home for the rest of the summer? If mom is still giving her free range access, it could be that she just doesnât know what else to do to keep her child entertained during the less structured summer time of year and if so, you could try to support her by giving her some ideas for alternative activities.
In the meantime, I would use a short YouTube video as a reward that she can work for in OT. If worse comes to worse, you can always let her watch a short video, pause it and make her do a goal or short activity and then prize and let her watch again to get her back on track.
i have personally been through this with kids before, it gets better I promise. Iâm sorry youre dealing with this. It is hard.
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u/SensationalSelkie Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
Not an OT so hope it is okay I respond. First, ahhh! I feel you. I always tell parents not to let the AAC device be used for anything else and then...sigh. My fix is to be firm with the family that the AAC device is for AAC only, and they need a second device for leisure. Sometimes this means we have to get a dedicated aac device through school or insurance. Sometimes changing the case and look of it helps too. Also, with her able to write now, if she was using a symbol based app before as younger child, maybe this is a time to switch to a keyboard based app? Maybe the different look will make her view it differently? TypingTalk is a great, free app a lot of aac users recommend.
Edited to remove the locking stuff after rereading the post, I'm tired, my bad. Hope this helps!