The short answer would be, no, you shouldn’t worry about dating a person with autism because just like anything, no person should ever be defined by the labels cast on them, nor should these labels be worrisome.
Continue reading Should You Worry About Dating A Person With Autism?
“The autism diagnosis itself is often traumatic for parents. It can be a grueling process that may take up to a year or more, with multiple visits to several different professionals.” Janeen Herskovitz, MA, LMHC said. With that, parent or guardian collaboration is essential in keeping your bond strong while withstanding the difficulties of looking after your child with autism disorder.
The Reality
Unfortunately, there are instances wherein psychological disorders like autism occurring within a family cause instability and discourse that could severely affect the relationship and eventually lead to divorce. Multiple studies have checked into this troubling issue, and yet their findings are usually contradicting.
However, what medical professionals do know is that autism is a rare disorder that induces stress not only for the parents but caregivers as well. Autism disorders start with a series of unusual events and then lead to inevitable changes that are difficult to deal with, which can then cause frustrations leading to persistent disagreements between parents.
While there are couples who are having trouble dealing with autism, there are those who have powered through all the difficulties by efficiently addressing and ironing out issues.
Autism Factors Affecting Marriage
Families are expected to endure adversities now and then. But when a family has a child with autism disorder, the stakes are higher, and the responsibilities seem doubled. Despite that, there are ways to be like the other couples who have weathered through the storm of staying together and becoming effective caregivers to their autistic child.
What are the reasons behind constant stress and how can you, as parents, be more efficient in overcoming these complications?
Taking care of children with autism is supposed to be a partnership between parents, which is why both are required to be extensively knowledgeable about the condition so it can be appropriately managed. But that’s not always the case.
Some families have children with autistic disorder who are unequipped when it comes to dealing with the condition due to some reason. Mostly, only the other half is the well-rounded, well-informed one who becomes the primary caregiver.
Usually, acceptance is one of the most challenging things to do. Online counseling, such as BetterHelp, is a proven way to help couples deal with the situation. Parents can go on therapy sessions with licensed counselors to assist them in handling their circumstances. Therapists can also educate parents on the condition of their child and how to manage it.
While the other parent is designated as the caregiver, the other is either avoidant or is usually unaware of what the disorder is and how it is managed. Here lies the conflict because only one is knowledgeable enough to engage in activities or events that concern the autistic child. Some examples are:
Usually, the mothers are involved in providing initial care; they are the ones who become the advocates and researchers who learn the following about their children with autism:
In the meantime, fathers who choose to sideline themselves from their children’s disorder rely heavily on their wife’s capacity to perform the majority of caregiving duties, thinking that since someone’s more capable and efficient, there is no need to be fully invested in their kids’ daily roundabouts. When this becomes the scenario, the conflict will eventually arise.
Relationship experts and therapists believe that as much as possible, both parents should be involved in providing care and assuming responsibility for their kid’s condition. Collaboration is a huge factor in making sure that the relationship does not suffer while partners take care of their child.
Autism prevails differently in children; therefore parents’ reactions are vital in maintaining a healthier bond with each other and with their autistic kids. “Young people with autism are very good at “getting stuck” and being less flexible.” John Strang, Psy.D. said.
While some parents see various challenges as an opportunity to learn and grow as a couple and as guardians, there are those who are upset and completely overwhelmed. For couples to overcome their frustrations surrounding the condition, they must first understand that an autistic kid:
Because autism presents differently in children, it will take a lot of imagination, perseverance, and energy to figure out how to appropriately engage with children who have autism disorder, and this process can be quite exhausting for the assigned caregiver.
While it is tempting for one parent to carry all the tasks and responsibilities in taking care of an autistic child and the other to surrender the role of a caregiver, it becomes an issue within the relationship due to the possibility of living separately even if they’re together. Time will come when partners find themselves at a crossroad with very little in common.
The Bottom Line
“There’s grief. There’s relief. There’s a whole range of emotions that go on there,” Jo White, a therapist said. Yes, managing an autistic child and assuming the role of a caregiver can be frightening and unsettling at first. But if couples are mutually accepting, understanding, and knowledgeable in taking on the responsibility of being parents and caregivers, the task of dealing with autism becomes lighter and even strengthens the bond of marriage.
Autistic kids do well with established schedules, which is why traveling to foreign places can bring about discomfort due to disrupted routines. Appropriate organizing and planning can aid in your child’s adjustment to a new environment and can be beneficial for the entire family as you journey to distant lands.
Autism And Traveling
Parents who have autistic kids find it hard to travel with their children especially if it would require long hours of flying or driving. Daunting as it may seem, voyaging into unfamiliar grounds is favorable to your kids since it will introduce them to a whole new dimension of sights, sounds, and wonders that cannot be achieved at home.
Due to the requirement of predictability with children within the spectrum, parents are somehow hesitant to go on vacations that would trigger stress and over-stimulation. For most caregivers, the experience of journeying with an autistic child can be quite overwhelming due to episodes of self-injurious, violent, or quirky behaviors exhibited in public that would result to rude and judgmental comments from other people. But according to Janeen Herskovitz, LMHC, “Just because a child has autism, doesn’t mean their life should be limited — it means they might need extra help or adaptations in order to do the same things that others do.”
Preparation Done Right
For those who are finding ways on how to take their autistic kids with the family on a meaningful, relaxing, and fun-filled journey, here are some of the things that you can do to have a pleasurable trip minus the trouble.
Not all places are disability-friendly; some areas are just too distressing that it can add further apprehensiveness on the part of your child. For children with autism, vacations signify transition, and this could pose a challenging feat. Depending on how your child presents his or her autism, parents should research for vacation places that are unhurried and flexible, like the beach, whichever is ideal for your child. As Richard Shuster, PsyD said, “Staring at the ocean actually changes our brain waves’ frequency and puts us into a mild meditative state.”
Always consider what perks or distresses your child. While there are children with autism who are into amusement parks, there are those who are fond of hiking. One way to assure yourself that your child will enjoy the trip is to include him or her in the planning of activities and places to go. Make sure that your itinerary is adapted to the child’s attention span, interests, and ability to process information.
By making proper arrangements ahead of time, you can create a more pleasant environment for your autistic child. Communicating with people at the place of your destination like the amusement park or the museum, restaurants, hotels, and most importantly, airlines will prompt all concerned parties about your child’s condition. Discuss with them what your requests are and what your child requires especially at specific accommodations.
Airlines and flight attendants that are informed ahead of time regarding the condition of your children will have time to adjust and be prepared in assisting with their needs. Some airlines are now more prepared for specific scenarios and situations that might occur when flying with autistic children.
In general, traveling with a child that has a disability would require increasing the safety plan since children are susceptible to distractions, wandering around and easily fleeing from unsuspecting adults. The National Autism Association reported that wandering is the leading cause of stress with autistic children. Furthermore, children who move about aimlessly are commonly attracted to the sight of water and are unaware of the danger that it might cause; for this reason, drowning is a primary consequence of wandering and is the primary cause of mortality in children with an autism spectrum disorder.
As parents, do not forget to secure a necklace or medical bracelet for your child that has your names and contact details. Some other areas where you can place the information tag are shoelaces, zipper pulls, and pocket. You can also make your child wear personalized shirts that have printouts indicating their condition and your contact information.
In other words, do not forget reinforcements that can distract your child from the stress that would prompt tantrums and outbursts. Bring their favorite toys or comfort items that can easily soothe their behavior. Make sure that you have a checklist so that you don’t forget anything significant that would make your child’s travel more comfortable and less nerve-racking.
“There is no cure for autism, nor is there one single treatment for autism spectrum disorders. But there are ways to help minimize the symptoms of autism and to maximize learning.” –Karla Helbert, LPC, E-RYT, C-IAYT
Vacations with autistic children need not be complicated and arduous. Parents just have to know what to do and how to do the necessary preparations to make the trips as pleasant as possible.
Getting less than a good night’s sleep usually precedes what is called a bad day. But for children with autism and their parents, this is just not a drowsy morning. Loss of sleep for these children means more severe symptoms of autism and lower intelligence scores when compared to children who slept more.
Continue reading Insomnia: Possibly Worsening Autism Symptoms More Than You Think
Medically speaking, severe autism is not a definite diagnosis. Severe autism is mainly used to describe an individual’s need and functioning level. Sometimes referred to as classic autism or profound autism, severe autism efficiently illustrates autistic people who possess the most prominent symptoms.
Elaborating Severe Autism
Currently, the diagnostic manual (DSM-5) brought about the three categories of autism mainly focusing on the level and requirement of support. Level 3, under the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), can be labeled as severe autism that demands a considerable amount of support which would technically be a 24/7 kind of fostering and supervising.
“Different people with autism–including those diagnosed with Asperger’s or PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disability)–can have very different symptoms in varying degrees of severity.” –Karla Helbert, LPC, E-RYT, C-IAYT
Severe autism is more demanding and debilitating compared to other levels of autism due to the following reasons:
Both of the reasons stated above creates a virtually tricky set-up for people struggling with severe autism and their families to function efficiently in normal settings that would range from going to schools, malls, parks, or even the doctor’s office.
Behavioral Difficulties Affecting Individuals With Severe Autism
Research suggests that people who have severe autism usually present intense behaviors that are commonly caused by sensory overload, physical pain, or frustration. Due to these impromptu reactions, individuals who have severe autism may have difficulties with verbally communicating their needs, that would result in their caregivers or other people having a negative perception of their behaviors.
Unmanaged or unaddressed behaviors usually conveyed by people with severe autism can become destructive which makes even the closest members of the family feel threatened by the lack of control for such abrupt and dangerous behaviors.
What are the typical behavioral challenges that are exhibited by people with severe autism?
“People with ASD can have problems controlling their aggression and says it is not uncommon for these clients, sometimes including adults, to pull her hair or scratch her arms.” Stephanie Smigiel, LPC said. Usually perceived as anti-social behavior, aggression committed by people with severe autism might be relatively uncommon but is undoubtedly an alarming symptom. Aggressive practices are not limited to kicking, hitting, or biting other people. People with severe autism may also manifest inappropriate acts like door banging, fecal smearing, which necessitates an effective and immediate response.
Self-injury is an act that is common for all levels of ASD; however extreme behaviors like head-banging due to frustration or anger, or consuming non-edible items, are more likely displayed by those who have severe autism.
Another distinct characteristic of people with severe autism that renders much difficulty in dealing with is straying or wandering around for no apparent reason. Compared to high-functioning autistic people, severely autistic individuals don’t have the appropriate tools to eloquently communicate with responders, posing a more precarious situation for the person. Due to the likelihood of straying happening, the majority of families with a member who has severe autism equip the person with alarms, personalized locks, and tools for proper identification to ensure their safety.
“From my perspective, it’s one of the hardest things to deal with because, particularly if they’ve got young children — they’re struggling, they’re really struggling with behaviours.” Jo White, a therapist said. While there are currently no specific treatments that can relieve someone of his or her condition, there is a wide variety of options aimed at addressing particular symptoms of the disorder. If your children are showing signs of autism and you would want to diagnose them adequately, consulting a medical professional is advised.
Let’s set the records straight once and for all, so pay attention. We will be exposing some of the most outrageous yet popular myths about autism.
Fostering self-confidence, friendship, and fun are just some of the benefits kids with autism spectrum disorder can get from sports participation.
Kids with autism diagnosis (also called autistic kids) have cognitive, motor, as well as behavioral difficulties due to their developmental disabilities. For example, they have sensory issues, making them sensitive to bright lights, loud noises, or even eye contact. Aside from that, kids with ASD are prone to doing repetitive movements during physical activity and fail to respond even to their names because of intellectual disabilities. At times, autistic kids act aggressively towards other children, such as neurotypical kids. They have trouble communicating because they are not capable of effective social interactions.
Continue reading Sports Counseling Method For Kids With Autism
The causes of autism are still not fully understood, but experts generally agree that environmental factors play a role. While genetics influence the chances of developing autism, exposure to certain chemicals early in life may also contribute towards this developmental disorder.
Given that scientists need to do more research on what causes autism, the exact link between certain chemicals and autism is still unclear. However, reducing your child’s exposure to these chemicals is always recommended. These substances are generally toxic to the nervous system and other parts of the body. By taking some simple steps, you can drastically reduce the amounts of these toxins that you and your family receive.
Pesticides
Many food items, such as produce, may contain significant amounts of pesticides on their surfaces. The agriculture industry uses pesticides to avoid crop damage from insects and other animals, preventing product losses. Many of these chemicals are designed to linger so that doses don’t need to be applied as often. Unfortunately, this design also allows these chemicals to resist degradation from natural processes, allowing them to travel far and wide.
Unborn children and babies are susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of pesticides. Left unabated, exposure can lead to neurological defects and poor development. A study found that pregnant women living within 2 kilometers from a sprayed field were up to 16% more likely to have a child with autism.
Fortunately, you can reduce pesticide exposure by rinsing your vegetables thoroughly with clean water. Better yet, you can buy from organic vendors and other sources that do not use pesticides.
Heavy Metals
Mercury and lead are potent agents that can harm brain cells. The body mistakes them as essential minerals like calcium. Hence, they can go inside vital organs like the brain, where they proceed to wreak havoc. Effects include poor language development and impaired emotion regulation, which are hallmarks of autism.
Mercury tends to bioaccumulate in animals such as fish because their organs can’t remove them effectively. When we eat contaminated fish, mercury can slowly build up inside our bodies and reach dangerous levels.
Lead was once a common ingredient of paints, so old buildings tend to have large amounts of this metal. As the paint flakes off and disintegrates into dust, the particles can be inhaled or ingested by young children.
To avoid exposure, it’s a good idea to limit the consumption of high-risk fish such as shark or tuna. You should also have old paints replaced or move out of aging residences.
Plastic Additives
Chemicals such as bisphenol A and phthalates are used to modify the properties of plastics, making them more durable and easy to manufacture. However, these substances can block the function of naturally occurring hormones in the body. Their most common effects include abnormalities in reproductive development, but they may also be significant in the development of autism.
To reduce exposure, check the type of plastic that you use around your children. If they have recycling codes 3, 4, or 7, you should probably stay away from them. Better yet, use products that guarantee to be free of phthalates and bisphenol A. Reducing consumption of packaged and processed food is also a good idea.
By being wary of these environmental hazards, you may better prevent your child from developing autism. What’s sure is that your child will have a healthier life.
An autism family therapy expert helps manage ASD. Know more about it and its unique challenges here.
How does autism family therapy help?
Honestly, no secret recipe or special powers are required to raise a child with autism successfully. However, there is a specific way for the entire family (including extended members) to manage the symptoms of ASD, provide understanding for the child’s life, enhance partner communication, strengthen relationships, avoid depression, and accumulate appropriate social skills, techniques, and tools to navigate around the challenging world of ASD childcare. Let’s talk more about this specific autism family therapy.
Let’s discuss more about the process and understand how it is beneficial for kids’ cognitive-communication disorders.
Speech therapy is accessible nowadays. It is considered effective and efficient for language delay and fluency disorders. It is administered by speech therapists and the treatment helps with language disorders and language disorders affecting kids as well as expressive disorders. So what else is there to know about language counseling?
Speech therapy aims to help with autism spectrum disorder in children (most of them have expressive disorders and language difficulties). The treatment is essential so that we know they can live a normal and happy life, too. Almost everyone with ASD is advised to take the language counseling, as recommended by language pathologists. The reason for this is that many children with ASD have compromised or limited capacities and have communication challenges and language disorders. At the same time, it also confronts major non-verbal communication problems, specifically maintaining eye contact and playing with other people. In autism, receptive language is often seen to lag behind expressive language. For these reasons, clinical management, including oral exercises, or articulation therapy, and other language development techniques for this has many benefits for children with ASD.
Speech therapy techniques, also known as language pathology, is a field that focuses on the assessment and treatment of language disorders, articulation disorders, and communication disorders. Language pathologists use a variety of techniques, such as language and articulation exercises, to help individuals with language disorders, fluency disorders, cognitive communication disorders, and more. They can work with individuals who have slow or slurred speech as a result of a brain injury or other conditions. Treatment plans may vary depending on the severity of the disorder and the individual’s needs.
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy can teach children to learn daily living skills and new skills through the use of positive reinforcement and verbal responses. ABA programs are typically run by behavior analysts who provide direct supervision and training to caregivers. Its effectiveness depends on how many hours a child receives treatment each week and how closely they follow the ABA program. ABA works for a range of conditions, including autism spectrum disorder.
“Traditionally, intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has focused upon reducing interfering behavior and teaching language, academic and self-help skills.” –Marlene Driscoll, MA, LMFT
It Develop The Ability To Express Needs (Child’s Oral Awareness)
A child with cognitive-communication disorders has a hard time expressing both their wants and needs (slow or slurred speech makes it more difficult). Sometimes, they do not learn spoken language bit by bit; instead, they do it in “chunks.” This is where speech therapy comes in. For example, they repeat these long chunks of sentences from their favorite TV shows and stories without fully understanding what they mean. Experts call this disorder echolalia. Echolalia can also be a sign of developmental disability in children or neurological disorders in adults. This can be addressed with language exercises and techniques taught by a licensed language therapist.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a therapeutic approach that focuses on understanding how such behaviors occur and can be changed without the need to resort to negative reinforcement. ABA techniques are often used to help individuals with intellectual functioning and developmental disabilities by teaching social skills and academic skills. Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is a common ABA technique that breaks down complex tasks into smaller steps to teach desired behaviors. A trained behavior analyst can become certified through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and use ABA principles to reduce negative behaviors and promote positive outcomes.
With the help of speech therapy, they learn how to communicate verbally and non-verbally with other people and exchange ideas with their peers properly. They will also be given repetition exercises that would help strengthen oral muscles so they can correct some word sounds and fluency disorders. It is crucial in building relationships not only in the comforts of their home but also outside of it. Children need to mingle with other kids, too. They need to communicate, play, and interact with other people in order to grow (social communication). They are able to express their emotions in a healthy and proper way. This is one of the most important goals of language counseling.
Early Intervention By Language Pathologists Improves Grammar
Speech therapy aims to aid children with ASD and language disorders as they have a difficult time applying correct grammar even if it’s taught both in school and at home. The most common grammar mistake they do is referring to themselves in the third person. For example, instead of saying, “I want to eat cereals,” they’ll say, “John wants cereals.” In this component, language pathologists SLPS target this skill and guide them into correcting these grammar mistakes. Some of them may also have swallowing disorders and cognitive communication challenges and language exercises can very well help with these.
With speech therapy children with autism are able to identify which words and phrases to use in order for others to understand what they want to communicate.
It can help improve a range of communication and language skills. Expressive disorders and receptive disorders can both be addressed through speech techniques, which may include exercises to strengthen the mouth and jaw, as well as language intervention activities.
Language interventions through speech therapy depend on a case-by-case basis. But it can also be helpful for individuals with fluency disorders, such as stuttering, as well as those with nervous system disorders that affect speaking and language development. It is important to work with a qualified pathologist, who may be a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, to develop an individualized treatment plan.
Speech therapy also addresses one of the difficulties of having ASD which is the inability to comprehend both verbal and nonverbal communication that other people try to tell you. It also teaches them to recognize cues such as facial expressions and body language and translate these into understandable messages. As such, it also gives them the capability to initiate individual and group communication without having to wait for others to do so. The speech-language pathologist can also teach parent-implemented speech therapy so that parents will know how to help their kids at home.
“It is painful and difficult to identify, because so many neurotypical partners see these as problems existing within in themselves, rather than as their reactions to confusion, to feeling systematically ignored, or to feeling not heard for many years.” –Sarah Swenson, MA, LMHC
Speech Therapy Develops Their Articulation Skills
Aside from improving their comprehension, speech therapy also targets the improvement of the children’s articulation and communication skills. Articulation refers to the physical movement of the lips, palate, tongue, and jaw. All of these parts should be able to coordinate correctly to produce sounds learned in this treatment. Other healthcare professionals can also manage a specific underlying medical condition if there is any, like hearing loss and difficulty reading, among others.
Children, too become confident as they learn the proper words and gestures to use when communicating with other people.
Hence, speech therapy treats communication problems, including voice disorders, slurred speech, and cognitive communication issues. These problems can be caused by underlying medical conditions such as brain injury. Resonance disorders can also affect speaking, and speech-language pathologists can help individuals develop the skills needed for effective communication. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association is a valuable resource for those seeking more information about speech therapy.
Speech therapy is beneficial to children with ASD experiencing various communication disorders like interjections, prolongations, and repetitions. Displaying this disorder tends to lower their self-confidence. With the help of speech therapy for ASD and language intervention activities, the patients learn strategies on how to increase their fluency and control their stutters which helps them stimulate language development and improve communication skills.
Applied Behavior Analysis can increase behaviors and decrease undesired behaviors. It focuses on setting a goal behavior and using evidence-based interventions to achieve those goals. ABA teaches individuals useful skills and changes behavior through long-term treatment. Practitioners of ABA typically hold a master’s degree and use data-driven methods to learn skills and modify behavior.
“Often, kids, teens, and adults on the spectrum spend a lot of time trying to be “normal”, fighting sensory overload and overwhelm, fending off personal quirks, and trying so hard to “fit in”, socially and otherwise.” Karla Helbert, LPC, E-RYT, C-IAYT said. Just like other medical diagnoses, the effect of speech therapy depends on how early you detect and treat speech disorders, the higher the chances of addressing their speech-language problems and fluency disorders thoroughly. Usually, children utter their first words around their 18th month and form basic phrases and sentences in their 24th month. It means that ASD is detectable at the age of 3. Therefore, it is recommended to start speech therapy early for it to be more beneficial and useful for children with autism.
What are common language problems?
What causes delays in language?
How long should speech therapy last?
Does speech therapy actually work?
What type of people need speech therapy?
Why do some people need speech therapy?
What age is best for speech therapy?
How do you fix speech delay?
Is speech therapy stressful?
Can speech therapy change your voice?
How can I do speech therapy at home?
What age is too late for speech therapy?
Is 5 years old too late for speech therapy?