It might be challenging to comprehend autism if you or a loved one has been given the diagnosis. This may be particularly true if you are unfamiliar with the many forms of autism and how they are currently classified.
The medical establishment initially divided autism as five distinct conditions. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) then modified its recommendations in 2013 and only identified one type of autism, known as ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism frequently includes obsessive behaviors, and many autistic kids also suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). They might range in complexity from being concerned with things like germs to something as basic as frequently touching or washing particular objects.
When an autistic person taps their fingers repeatedly on a table to unwind or to enhance their senses, this is an example of a positive stim. It's a non-emotional, self-soothing method of dealing with boredom or worry, but in the case of OCD, it may become a compulsion.
These compulsions in OCD are brought on by the idea of damage or risk. These ideas reveal a person's sense of helplessness or inability to confront their fears. Some people may be able to sever the connection between obsessions and compulsions with treatment to lessen OCD symptoms.
With autistic individuals, repetitive behaviors are the most prevalent and challenging ones. They might be intense or subtle and include vocalizations, bodily movements, and repetitive hand flapping. According to some experts, these habits are crucial in helping autistic people manage their stress and anxiety. But, if they are severe enough or self-destructive, they can also result in social issues and bodily harm.
Finding the underlying reason of the behavior—which may be tension or fear—is the greatest way to assist in reducing repetitive behaviors. This can be accomplished by finding out why the person is acting in this way and assisting them in learning better ways to manage their emotions.
Challenges with social connection are a major feature of autism. These may cause people to feel frustrated and may lower their quality of life. These can include challenges with conversational initiation, reading facial expressions, and social interaction. Moreover, they may cause anxiety and a decline in social desire.
Several techniques can aid autistic individuals in improving their social skills and communication abilities. For instance, social tales assist in more concretely and visually dissecting complex ideas.
They can assist someone in recognizing and controlling various emotions. They can also draw attention to what has been stated in a conversation and the intentions of those involved.
Winter-Messiers says that even if they can be challenging and difficult, these hobbies can have a big impact on autistic people. She recommends that educators and therapists assist these kids in utilizing their specific interests to enhance their academic achievement, social skills, task mastery, and coping mechanisms.
According to Gunn and Delafield-research, Butt's the BASC-2 Leadership subscale, which assesses "skills involved with completing academic, social, or communal goals, including the ability to collaborate with others," substantially connected with the Adaptive Coping scale (Reynolds and Kamphaus, 2004).
The Perseverance and Social Flexibility variables are orthogonal to the Adaptive Coping component. A restricted interest may merit treating with a suitable treatment plan that takes into account both factors if it has few negative characteristics (high Perseveration) but many good ones (high AC).
