Although Autism Awareness Month is officially over for
another year, families affected by autism know that awareness is an
everyday occurrence, not just something to consider for thirty days of the
year. For our family, April was a month focused on dealing with Alex’s
increased anxiety and figuring out ways to lessen his stress, which is also ours. We are blessed to have outstanding professionals who work with
Alex, understand both autism and anxiety, and help us brainstorm ways to make
him better. However, as Alex’s parents and round-the-clock caregivers, Ed and I
know that the primary responsibility of teaching Alex how to cope falls
squarely upon us. Thankfully, we are seeing improvement.
According to a research article published in April 2009 in Clinical Psychology Review entitled “Anxiety in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders,” 11%-84% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder also “experience some degree of impairing anxiety.” [To read this article, please click here.] Additionally, research shows that more than 55% exhibit symptoms of at least one anxiety disorder. Consequently, more than half of children with autism also must deal with anxiety.
Another scholarly article published by the Indiana Resource Center of Autism entitled “Anxiety and Autism Spectrum Disorders” notes that anxiety appears to occur more often in those with higher functioning autism. [To read this article, please click here.] Researchers suggest that those who are higher functioning appear to have a greater awareness of their environment and of how others perceive them, which could lead to greater anxiety. On the other hand, those deemed lower functioning may lack the language skills needed to express their anxiety. Nonetheless, many people with autism, no matter what their functioning level may be, need support in dealing with anxiety.
This article goes on to recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy as the best way to teach people how to cope with anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on identifying negative and irrational thought patterns in which the person may overgeneralize, as well as finding new ways to think about situations. For example, when Alex becomes anxious, he will jump to the conclusion that something he wants to do will never happen, and his negative assessment of the situation makes him more anxious. By working with his behavioral therapist, he is learning to reassess circumstances in a more realistic way and to use coping skills to keep his negative thoughts from escalating into a full-blown panic attack. In addition, we must reassure him that things will be all right while never diminishing his feelings that are very real to him.
Another struggle Alex faces in addition to his anxiety is his impaired verbal skills that make expressing his feelings difficult, especially when he is upset. For this reason, he may resort to nonverbal communication, such as silently scowling, grabbing, or even hitting, to let us know he’s upset. Clearly, these behaviors are not socially acceptable, so we keep working with him to develop ways to deal with his anxiety and frustration that allow him to express his feelings verbally. I’m sure that he is tired of hearing us say, “Use your words, not your hands,” but he needs to learn better ways to cope with his anxiety.
One of the best skills Alex has learned in life is how to do research on topics he finds interesting. Not only is he adept at finding information online, like many young people his age, but he is also quite skilled at doing old-fashioned book research. Over the years, he has acquired a nice collection of reference books that he regularly consults whenever he wants to learn more about a particular subject. A few nights ago, after Alex went to bed, Ed discovered that he had been consulting one of his beloved medical books. The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, a nearly 1500 page guide, was opened to an article that Alex had apparently been reading––“Coping with Anxiety.” Bless his heart; he was trying to figure out how to help himself. Apparently, his research proved useful because he seems better. He identified the problem, searched for solutions, and then put the helpful tips into practice. To summarize, this article recommends the following:
1. Take action. Figure out the cause of stress and deal with it.
2. Let it go. Put aside the past, make changes if you can, and [Alex underlined this] “let the rest take its course.”
3. Break the cycle. Deal with anxiety by distracting yourself with exercise or a hobby.
4. Take care of yourself. Get plenty of exercise, rest, and relaxation, and eat healthy.
5. Talk to someone. Discuss problems with friends, family, or a counselor.
In addition, we have been trying to teach Alex how to verbalize when he’s frustrated, assuring him that he can let us know when he’s upset. This week, I told him that when my sister, his adored Aunt Tammy, was a little girl, she would stomp off whenever she got upset and yell, “I’m mad, and I mean it.” Although he seemed to find this anecdote amusing as I was telling it to him, clearly he took the message to heart, as we discovered a few days later.
On Friday, Alex became worried, trying to figure out how to rearrange his precious schedule so that he could do several things he wanted to do. As Ed and I tried to help him by offering suggestions, he became more frustrated because he wanted to take charge of the situation. As he walked away from us, heading upstairs to his room, he informed us, “I’m mad!” When he got to his bedroom door, he emphasized the point by yelling down to us, “And I mean it!” Respecting his space, we left him alone, and in a few minutes of peaceful solitude in his room, Alex figured out on his own not only how he could rearrange his schedule but also how to calm himself down without any help from us. Essentially, he is learning two valuable lessons: how to cope with stress and how to be independent.
The other day when the three of us were riding in the car, Ed remarked to Alex that we are very proud of him. Unsure of whether Alex knew what he meant, he asked Alex if he knew the definition of the word “proud.” Since Alex didn’t seem certain, Ed went on to give examples of why we are proud of him, including how pleasant he is and how nicely he behaves when we take him places. Alex nodded and smiled and said, “Proud means impressed.” We were impressed (and proud) that he found the perfect synonym, but we were even more pleased that he understood what we were trying to convey to him. Although we hate that he has to struggle with autism and anxiety, we are proud of how well he copes with these issues the vast majority of the time. Moreover, we are impressed with his desire to overcome obstacles, even trying to manage them independently. While we hope that we have taught him what he needs in life, we know the real source of his strength lies in his faith in God, and that, too, makes us proud as his parents.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” Philippians 4:6
According to a research article published in April 2009 in Clinical Psychology Review entitled “Anxiety in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders,” 11%-84% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder also “experience some degree of impairing anxiety.” [To read this article, please click here.] Additionally, research shows that more than 55% exhibit symptoms of at least one anxiety disorder. Consequently, more than half of children with autism also must deal with anxiety.
Another scholarly article published by the Indiana Resource Center of Autism entitled “Anxiety and Autism Spectrum Disorders” notes that anxiety appears to occur more often in those with higher functioning autism. [To read this article, please click here.] Researchers suggest that those who are higher functioning appear to have a greater awareness of their environment and of how others perceive them, which could lead to greater anxiety. On the other hand, those deemed lower functioning may lack the language skills needed to express their anxiety. Nonetheless, many people with autism, no matter what their functioning level may be, need support in dealing with anxiety.
This article goes on to recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy as the best way to teach people how to cope with anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on identifying negative and irrational thought patterns in which the person may overgeneralize, as well as finding new ways to think about situations. For example, when Alex becomes anxious, he will jump to the conclusion that something he wants to do will never happen, and his negative assessment of the situation makes him more anxious. By working with his behavioral therapist, he is learning to reassess circumstances in a more realistic way and to use coping skills to keep his negative thoughts from escalating into a full-blown panic attack. In addition, we must reassure him that things will be all right while never diminishing his feelings that are very real to him.
Another struggle Alex faces in addition to his anxiety is his impaired verbal skills that make expressing his feelings difficult, especially when he is upset. For this reason, he may resort to nonverbal communication, such as silently scowling, grabbing, or even hitting, to let us know he’s upset. Clearly, these behaviors are not socially acceptable, so we keep working with him to develop ways to deal with his anxiety and frustration that allow him to express his feelings verbally. I’m sure that he is tired of hearing us say, “Use your words, not your hands,” but he needs to learn better ways to cope with his anxiety.
One of the best skills Alex has learned in life is how to do research on topics he finds interesting. Not only is he adept at finding information online, like many young people his age, but he is also quite skilled at doing old-fashioned book research. Over the years, he has acquired a nice collection of reference books that he regularly consults whenever he wants to learn more about a particular subject. A few nights ago, after Alex went to bed, Ed discovered that he had been consulting one of his beloved medical books. The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, a nearly 1500 page guide, was opened to an article that Alex had apparently been reading––“Coping with Anxiety.” Bless his heart; he was trying to figure out how to help himself. Apparently, his research proved useful because he seems better. He identified the problem, searched for solutions, and then put the helpful tips into practice. To summarize, this article recommends the following:
1. Take action. Figure out the cause of stress and deal with it.
2. Let it go. Put aside the past, make changes if you can, and [Alex underlined this] “let the rest take its course.”
3. Break the cycle. Deal with anxiety by distracting yourself with exercise or a hobby.
4. Take care of yourself. Get plenty of exercise, rest, and relaxation, and eat healthy.
5. Talk to someone. Discuss problems with friends, family, or a counselor.
In addition, we have been trying to teach Alex how to verbalize when he’s frustrated, assuring him that he can let us know when he’s upset. This week, I told him that when my sister, his adored Aunt Tammy, was a little girl, she would stomp off whenever she got upset and yell, “I’m mad, and I mean it.” Although he seemed to find this anecdote amusing as I was telling it to him, clearly he took the message to heart, as we discovered a few days later.
On Friday, Alex became worried, trying to figure out how to rearrange his precious schedule so that he could do several things he wanted to do. As Ed and I tried to help him by offering suggestions, he became more frustrated because he wanted to take charge of the situation. As he walked away from us, heading upstairs to his room, he informed us, “I’m mad!” When he got to his bedroom door, he emphasized the point by yelling down to us, “And I mean it!” Respecting his space, we left him alone, and in a few minutes of peaceful solitude in his room, Alex figured out on his own not only how he could rearrange his schedule but also how to calm himself down without any help from us. Essentially, he is learning two valuable lessons: how to cope with stress and how to be independent.
The other day when the three of us were riding in the car, Ed remarked to Alex that we are very proud of him. Unsure of whether Alex knew what he meant, he asked Alex if he knew the definition of the word “proud.” Since Alex didn’t seem certain, Ed went on to give examples of why we are proud of him, including how pleasant he is and how nicely he behaves when we take him places. Alex nodded and smiled and said, “Proud means impressed.” We were impressed (and proud) that he found the perfect synonym, but we were even more pleased that he understood what we were trying to convey to him. Although we hate that he has to struggle with autism and anxiety, we are proud of how well he copes with these issues the vast majority of the time. Moreover, we are impressed with his desire to overcome obstacles, even trying to manage them independently. While we hope that we have taught him what he needs in life, we know the real source of his strength lies in his faith in God, and that, too, makes us proud as his parents.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” Philippians 4:6
No comments:
Post a Comment