Effective Solutions To Deal With Autism & Anxiety!

 Autism

Autism & Anxiety Overview:

I. What is Autism:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disability; signs typically appear during early childhood and affect a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.

ASD is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a “spectrum condition” that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees.

There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and early diagnosis/intervention and access to appropriate services/supports lead to significantly improved outcomes. 

Some of the behaviors associated with autism include:

• Delayed learning of language.
• Difficulty making eye contact or holding a conversation.
• A difficulty with executive functioning, which relates to reasoning and planning.
• Narrow, intense interests.
• Poor motor skills’ and sensory sensitivities.

II.  What is Anxiety: 

Anxiety is the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when you feel threatened, under pressure, or is facing a stressful situation.

In moderation, anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, anxiety can help you stay alert and focused, spur you to action, and motivate you to solve problems.

But when anxiety is constant or overwhelming, when it interferes with your relationships and activities, it stops being functional, that’s when you’ve crossed the line from normal, productive anxiety into the territory of anxiety disorders.

What Causes Autism?

Autism is a complex disorder, and most studies on it are incomplete. There are several proposed theories regarding autism causes.

Genetic factors are the most common, but it remains unclear which genes affect a child’s probability of developing autism.

A child whose parent had autism will not always develop the disorder, but the chances of it happening are high.

Dealing With Autism & Anxiety:

Though no parent wants to hear that their child has any of the five types of autism, it can be somewhat of a relief to put a name to what is going on.

The best thing about a diagnosis is that the child can get treatments that are meant to help with both communication and socialization.

These are both problems for those who have this condition, but with help, they can be overcome.

Things That Parents Can Do to Help,

It begins with finding out how to cope with autism and anxiety on socialization. Early intervention often means good results can be expected for some children.

Before Therapies Can Be Started,

a thorough examination must be done. The child should be evaluated in all areas they are struggling with due to autism to see what areas need the most immediate help, and what might not need to be addressed at all.

Usually, one or two behaviors will be singled out as the most pressing, and those are the ones that parents need to concentrate on first. These therapies should always be done with positive reinforcement, and with endless amounts of patience.

1. Speech Therapy:

• Though there are some children with autism that speak rather well, they can still have communication problems in one form or another.
• They may have a large vocabulary, but they don’t know how to use it.
• Some children with autism are very bad at forming relationships because of speech-related communication problems.
• Speech therapy can help them learn to communicate their feelings and thoughts in a more mainstream fashion.

2. Desensitization to New Environments:

Therapy focused on this area is done when a child always acts out with screaming tantrums away from home. It can be used for tantrums in any situation.

The idea behind is to take the child to an area that they struggle with, and when the tantrum ensues, they are removed and they go home.

The Next Time They Visit The Spot,

They only go in for a short amount of time, usually less than a minute. The time is slowly upped in duration and when paired with positive feedback and rewards, this form of desensitization can be a very useful tool. This can help a child cope with new places such as entering a classroom setting.

3. Self-Awareness:

• These skills will help children learn to relate to themselves and that in turn helps them relate to others.
• When they can learn to manage their emotions, they can learn more about the same emotions in others.
• That helps them in understanding what the other person may be saying or feeling, and once that is accomplished, communications are better managed.

4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:

This therapy also helps a child understand and manage their emotions, and can go a long way towards helping them express themselves rather than having no other way to express emotion except through a tantrum.

It can help them relax in certain situations that are normally anxious, and can also help with obsessive behaviors of all types.