The Red Beast

Helping children learn to manage difficult emotions such as anger can be a challenge for all parents and particularly for those whose children fall within the Autism Spectrum. Children with an ASD can be prone to regular outbursts of rage and parents rarely get the luxury of a “window” of escalation in which to intervene.

The Red Beast provides a story which can assist a child to understand what happens when their Red Beast is awakened and how to manage it. It talks about the Red Beast in a way that helps normalise the process as well as externalising the anger onto the Red Beast. Externalising can be very helpful to engage a child in trying to manage their anger as they are controlling “The Red Beast” rather than themselves. This also can assist in building self-esteem as the child experiences mastery around being in control.

The book provides some helpful strategies to help “tame” the Red Beast, such as those identified in Occupational Therapy (OT) as well as imaginative and relaxation strategies.

Who could read this book? This book is aimed at younger primary school aged children however could also be useful for pre schoolers. The story can also relate to any child who is having trouble managing anger. How can the book be used? The story is engaging and provides many opportunities for children and families to share their own experiences with the Red Beast. This is the main therapeutic purpose of the book, providing a springboard into the reader’s own story and opening many possibilities for understanding and intervention. Here at the Quirky Kid Clinic we have used the book with great success in engaging children and families to begin their own processes of taming the Red Beast!!