Why Is He Always Throwing Things

When I first met Ayaan (name changed), a 5-year-old autistic boy in my classroom, his days were filled with unpredictability, for both of us. He would run to the door multiple times, throw toys across the room, and burst into giggles at seemingly random moments. Verbal instructions didn’t land. He seemed inattentive, overwhelmed, and unreachable.

One morning, as I was picking up the same toy he had thrown for the fourth time, I paused and asked myself: "What if this isn’t misbehavior? What if this is a cry for structure?"

That simple question changed everything.

We started small: a visual schedule with just four steps, a consistent arrival routine, and movement breaks between tasks. Within weeks, he began checking the visual chart on his own. The throwing lessened. He stayed longer at the table. And for the first time, he waited in line during snack time.
It wasn’t magic. It was predictability, and it made his world feel safer.