Helping Children & Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder & Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal part of children’s development, but children and teenagers with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience anxiety more intensely and more often than other children.

  

Anxiety or autism spectrum disorder?

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) feel many of the same worries and fears as other children. But when children and teenagers with ASD get worried or anxious, the way they show their anxiety can look a lot like common characteristics of ASD – stimming, obsessive or ritualistic behaviour, and resistance to changes in routine.

How anxiety affects children and teenagers with autism spectrum disorder:

The world can be a confusing place for children and teenagers with ASD. They might find social or unfamiliar situations overwhelming and hard to understand. They often have difficulty working out what another person might be thinking or feeling, or how that person might react. As a result, people and situations can seem unpredictable, which can make children feel stressed and anxious.

On top of that, children and teenagers with ASD, especially younger children, might have trouble telling you that they’re feeling anxious. Instead, you might notice an increase in challenging behaviour.

For example, your anxious child might:

  • insist even more on routine and sameness
  • have more trouble sleeping
  • have meltdowns or temper tantrums
  • avoid or withdraw from social situations
  • rely more on obsessions and rituals, like lining up or spinning objects
  • stim by rocking, spinning or flapping hands
  • do things to hurt themselves, like head-banging, scratching skin or hand-biting.

 

REDUCING ANXIETY AND MANAGING ANXIETY FOR YOUR CHILD WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER:

Anxiety is a natural part of life and something that everyone experiences at some stage.

You’ll never be able to get rid of everything that causes anxiety or stress for your child, though you will try! But there are some things you can do to help ease your child’s worries, and encourage them to manage his own anxiety levels.

 Find out what makes your child anxious

Because children and teenagers with ASD can have trouble with understanding and communicating emotions, you might need to read your child’s signals and work out what makes them feel anxious or stressed.

Some of the common triggers for anxiety in children with ASD include:

  • changes in routine – for example, a weekly piano lesson gets cancelled because the teacher is sick
  • changes in environment – for example, furniture in your home gets moved, there’s new play equipment at the local park, or you move house
  • unfamiliar social situations – for example, a birthday party at an unfamiliar house
  • sensory sensitivities – for example, sensitivities to particular noises, bright lights, specific flavours or food textures
  • fear of a particular situation, activity or object – for example, sleeping in their own bed, going to the toilet, balloons or vacuum cleaners.

Once you’ve worked out some of the things that make your child feel anxious, it can help to make a list of them, so that you can find ways to help your child manage these situations.

 

Give your child lots of opportunities to practice dealing with these things and situations in safe environments.

It helps if other people who look after your child – for example, child care workers, teachers and family members – also know what makes your child feel anxious and what they can do to help him with managing anxiety in these situations.

 

Sensory needs

Children with ASD may have a range of sensory needs. They might experience sensory input in one or more of the seven senses differently.

Think about situations where there is a lot of sensory information, which can exacerbate their anxiety levels. Consider the food court in a shopping mall, where there are:

  • crowds of people
  • different food smells
  • lots of noise such as chatting, laughing, chairs scraping and cutlery clanging
  • foods with different tastes and textures
  • tables, chairs and groups of pupils that make it difficult for you to move through the hall.

This can be an overwhelming place for a child or young person on the autism.

If you think you can change the environment to reduce overstimulation, do!

 

Help your child recognise anxious feelings

Your child might need to be taught what anxiety is and what it feels like in her body. For example, when they feels anxious their palms get sweaty, their heart beats faster, and they engage in a stimming behaviour.

You could try drawing an outline of a person’s body. Inside the outline, help your child draw or write what happens in each part of his body when he feels scared or worried.

 

Quick tips to help children with ASD manage anxiety

Here are some ways you can help:

  • make sure you prepare them for any change to their routine
  • think about how you can adapt the environment
  • use visual supports and timetables
  • try social stories or comic strip conversations to develop social understanding
  • use a stress scale to help them identify changes in emotions offer a safe and quiet place where they can go to get away from social pressures
  • have lunch time clubs where they can spend time with others who have similar interests.

 

Use relaxation and calming strategies

Your child might also need to learn what she can do to calm down. You can help your child come up with a toolbox of ways to help herself calm down when she starts feeling anxious or stressed. These might be:

  • counting slowly to 10
  • taking five deep breaths
  • running around the yard five times
  • doing 50 jumps on the trampoline
  • looking at a collection of favourite or special things
  • reading a favourite book
  • closing eyes for a few moments
  • going to a quiet part of the house.

Get your child to practice these strategies when they’re calm. Once they knows the strategies well, you can gently guide them to try them when he feels anxious.

Getting help with managing your child’s anxiety

A psychologist might be able to help if your child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is very anxious. Psychologists have specialised training in mental health conditions, and can work directly with your child and family to develop strategies for reducing anxiety.

Psychologists use a range of approaches, including:

  • cognitive behaviour therapy – this helps children develop skills to change their thinking in situations that make them anxious
  • interventions using gradual exposure to help children face their fears – for example, the stepladder approach
  • Social Stories– these can help prepare children for unfamiliar or stressful situations that generally make them anxious
  • relaxation training to help your child learn to relax.

You can ask your GP or Paediatrician to recommend a psychologist.

Medication can also help reduce anxiety symptoms in children with ASD. It’s usually recommended only when anxiety is affecting a child’s everyday life and behaviour strategies haven’t reduced the anxiety enough. You can speak to your GP or Paediatrician about this option.

The above information were obtained from the following sources. The full articles may be found on:

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/autism_spectrum_disorder_anxiety.html

http://www.autism.org.uk/professionals/teachers/classroom/understanding-anxiety.aspx

Parents of children with ASD may find the following resource beneficial:

https://ed-psych.utah.edu/school-psych/_documents/grants/autism-training-grant/Anxiety-PP.pdf

ShannonThis blog was written by Dr Aiyuen (Shannon) Choong, Psychologist at Your Mind Matters. Aiyuen is fluent in English and Mandarin, and is passionate about working with children from preschool years through to adolescence.

To learn more about Aiyuen, click here.

Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety condition involving intrusive negative thoughts and the repetition of certain behaviours.

What is the difference between obsessions and compulsions?

Obsessions are thoughts or images which can be quite intrusive and distressing. Although these thoughts can often be irrational, they can be extremely difficult to ignore and result in overwhelming anxiety and fear. Common obsessive thoughts include consistent worry about forgetting to lock doors, something bad occurring, or fear of contracting germs. Obsessive thoughts can be infrequent, only occurring occasionally, and at other times they can occur frequently. Obsessive thoughts become problematic when they interfere in an individual’s daily functioning, personal relationships and/or employment.

Compulsions are the repetition of certain behaviours or actions with the aim of alleviating the fear or anxiety resulting from the obsessive thought. In other words, the compulsive behaviour neutralises the distressing obsession. This wouldn’t be problematic if the compulsion was simple however, many compulsive rituals can take up hours of each day. For example, an individual with the fear of forgetting to lock the front door of their home may check to see if their door is locked several times and may even return home whilst on their way to work, to double check that they did indeed lock the door. This can lead to being late for work and impede on reliability. Other examples of compulsive behaviours can include repetitive hand washing, counting/repeating, arranging, and checking behaviours.

Does an individual experience both obsessions and compulsions?

Most individuals who have OCD will experience both obsessions and compulsions however the two are not always present. 20 percent of individuals will experience obsessions only, and 10 percent will experience only compulsions.

Prevalence rates

About three in every hundred people will develop OCD at some time in their lives – that is more than 450,000 Australians. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the person suffering from OCD may or may not seek or require support.

What causes OCD?

There is no one specific cause for OCD however it appears to be a contribution of several interacting factors, including genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, hormonal changes, and personality traits. This does not mean that if anxiety runs in the family, an individual will definitely develop the condition, they are just more susceptible to experiencing the condition. Environmental factors can also contribute to the development of OCD. An individual who is exposed to a highly stressful environment whilst growing up may be more prone to developing an anxiety condition.

What treatment options are available?

Treatment for OCD often includes medical and psychological intervention. Speak to your local General Practitioner for further information regarding medication options. Psychological counselling for OCD involves the use of evidence-based therapy such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to assist in the management of obsession thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

If you have noticed any of the above happening in your life, why not give us a call today? Our team of highly skilled and well-experienced Psychologists are here to help.

For additional information on OCD, the following links may be helpful:

http://www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/10-frequently-asked-questions-about-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd


About the Author:

mariaMaria Kampantais is a psychologist at Your Mind Matters Psychology Services. She works with us 4 days per week (day and evening sessions) and is passionate about working with clients suffering from various anxiety disorders.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear. Everyone feels anxious at some point in their life, but for some people it can be an ongoing problem.  Although we used the words “anxiety” and “stress” interchangeably, they are slightly different.

Stress is a response to a specific threat or challenge, and subsides when the stressor is removed.

Anxiety is often anticipatory, does not always have a trigger, and even after stressors are dealt with, a person may still feel anxious. 

A little bit of anxiety and stress can be helpful; for example, feeling anxious or stressed before an exam might make you more alert and improve your performance. But too much of either could make you tired and unable to concentrate.

Symptoms of anxiety

Anxiety can have both psychological and physical symptoms. Psychological symptoms can include:

  • feeling worried or uneasy a lot of the time

  • having difficulty sleeping, which makes you feel tired

  • not being able to concentrate

  • being irritable

  • being extra alert and hyper-vigilant

  • feeling on edge or not being able to relax

  • needing frequent reassurance from other people

 

Depending on the type of anxiety, symptoms vary.  For example, if someone suffers from social anxiety, their symptoms will be markedly different from someone who suffers from claustrophobia (fear of being enclosed in small spaces, such as elevators).

When you’re feeling anxious or stressed, your body releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. These cause the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as an increased heart rate and increased sweating.

 

Physical symptoms can include:

  • a pounding heartbeat and heart palpitations
  • breathing faster
  • dry mouth
  • feeling sick or nauseous
  • headaches
  • feeling faint or sweating
  • loss of appetite
  • needing the toilet more frequently

 

Is anxiety bad for you?

A little anxiety is fine, but long-term anxiety may lead to more serious health, social, and occupational difficulties. If you’re feeling anxious much of the time, or it’s affecting your day-to-day life, it’s best to seek support.

 

Help for anxiety 

There are effective treatments available for anxiety, so do talk to your GP if you think you may benefit. If your GP thinks counselling with a psychologist may be helpful, they may create a Mental Health Care Plan for you, which (if eligible) will heavily subsidize your counselling sessions.

If you’d like more information on how to access a Mental Health Care Plan and pricing for counselling at Your Mind Matters Psychology Services, please call us on (03)9809 5947, or email us, as we can walk you through the process.

World Suicide Prevention Day

World Suicide Prevention Day

10th September 2016

The World Health Organization estimates that over 800,000 people in the world die by suicide each year – that’s one person every 40 seconds. 

Facts about suicide in Australia

  • Suicide is the leading cause of death for men and women between the ages of 15-44
  • The population death rates are around 10/100,000 people every year
  • Annual number of deaths by suicide in Australia is around 2,500 each year
  • 65,000 plan or attempt to take their life each year
  • 400,000 people think about taking their life each year
  • The Global Burden of Disease Report cited 36 million years of healthy life were lost as a result of suicide in 2010

The tragic ripple effect means that there are many, many more people who have been bereaved by suicide or have been close to someone who have tried to take his or her own life, as well as those struggling to manage suicidal ideation.

World Suicide Prevention Day events occurred in local communities across Australia. Check out the Events page to see what’s happened near you. To find out about events planned across the globe, go to the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) page: http://wspd.org.au/events/

 

IF YOU NEED HELP

Getting through difficulties on your own can be difficult. Talk to friends, family, your doctor, other health professionals or a telephone helpline about your substance use. The following will provide help and assistants and point you in the right direction if you need further help.

  • Suicide Call BACK 1300 659 467, support if you, or someone you know, is feeling suicidal.
  • Kids Help Line (age 2-5) 1800 551 800, to talk to someone about anything that’s going on in life.
  • Life Line 13 11 14, support and advise in as personal crisis.

 

Dealing with Catastrophic Thinking

Us humans are great at worrying and churning things over and over (AND OVER!) in our minds. It’s a terrible, unhelpful habit that we have developed. And I know sometimes you may think that worrying helps you prepare for the worst, but this is not true…what DOES help, is problem solving.

So, want to know what to do about over thinking? Mel Selig suggests telling yourself the following statements:

1 – “It’s not happening now.” Yes, it’s certainly possible that a catastrophe could occur, but it’s not happening now. This phrase may help you see that, at least at this moment, you are safe.
2 – “Whatever happens, I can cope.” This statement reminds you of your own inner resources and gives you the determination to meet the challenges of life. (The concept comes from the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tradition.)
3 – “I am causing my own suffering. Could I stop?” The first part of this statement has its origins in Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths. The question, “Could I stop?” comes from motivational studies suggesting that asking yourself a question tends to be more motivating than simply saying, “I will stop,” or the judgmental, “Stop causing your own suffering!”—which only creates more suffering.

Asking, “Could I stop?” helps you see that you have a choice. Of course, if there truly is a catastrophe headed your way—divorce, a death in the family, or natural disaster—the best thing to ask yourself is, “How could I best prepare for this event?” Planning your action steps relieves your anxiety (problem solving).

If your catastrophic thoughts are impairing your ability to sleep, concentrate, work or socialise, you may need a little more support. Psychologists are extremely familiar with the ol’ “what if” thinking (yes, we also have these thoughts!) and can provide you with more assistance and support.  Give us a call and let us give you a helping hand. 

 

See original post here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/changepower/201310/3-ways-stop-imagining-the-worst