Autism and Anxiety

Autism and anxietyaddressed appropriately, a counsellor, parent or other
          We are all vulnerable to feelings ofhelper can be most effective in helping alleviate
anxiety at various points in our lives and our responsesanxieties with and for the (autistic) individual by
to such can depend on the elements of ourassuming a non-confrontational/indirect approach with
‘fabric’ – those parts of us that make upthem.
who we are, the support we have and our abilities to          Being non-confrontational can involve,
know what to do, how and when.for example;
          Some of the elements that make us**being seated beside (nearby) them – not directly
the individual and unique characters we are, are ourin front of them;
personality, temperament, gender, age, life experience,**not demanding eye contact (expecting or
health status, family structure and place in the familial‘demanding’ eye contact can ‘shut
hierarchy; physical, psychological and cognitive abilities,down’ the autistic person to being receptive to any
race, religion, culture, economic status.......and so on.mutual conversation and it is disrespectful of/to their
          Any shift in or deliberate or accidental‘being’ and dignity);
assault on any of these elements in our life, can have**speaking at a moderate pace and in a calm, warm
the effect of producing anxieties for us and as wemanner;
respond to these experiences, many of the other**allowing for quiet times or lulls in the conversation (to
elements can become adversely affected too.allow time for them to process what is being
          For a person on the autism spectrum,discussed);
the impact of an adverse event, for example**maybe not launching straight into talking directly about
experiencing bullying, can heighten their experience ofthe person’s issues of concern – but a short,
resulting anxieties and impact on many of thesegeneral conversation surrounding ‘things’ which
elements to a debilitating level.can make one happy and some ‘things’ which
          A notable response to anxietycan make one anxious and so on.  
causing experiences is an involuntary condition in an**being genuine in your care, desire to help and
autistic person, appropriately named Exposure Anxiety.interaction with them. An autistic person can
This condition can present as being mildly affective‘pick’ a ‘fraud’ or non genuine character
through to being severely incapacitating for the autistica mile off. Their intuition and perception of ‘you’
person. It can deeply affect a person's daily functioningwill immediately determine whether they wish to
and/or, for example, when social contact or personalparticipate in a conversation, interaction with or trust
performance (e.g. in the classroom) is required oryou.
happens in the moment.          These are only but a few of the
          When an autistic person isconditions which help create a situation conducive to
experiencing Exposure Anxiety, you may observereally assisting an autistic individual presenting with
them, for example, looking down at their feet, orExposure Anxiety.
wringing their hands or their hands may be set flat          We can assist the autistic person
against their thighs, looking fearful or frozen to the spot,child to manage and control their Exposure Anxiety by
or outwardly distressed (e.g. behaviour outburst) andoffering our understanding, empathy and, for example,
so on. Also, their fight or flight response may be‘what to do; how to do and when’ and with
exaggerated and efforts to return their state to abehavioral/cognitive management skills and teachings
relative calm may be very difficult.inherent in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, as well as
          Other indicators of a personensuring that any other ‘conditions (medical or
experiencing Exposure Anxiety can be, for example,otherwise) are equally addressed.
when the individual feels incredibly self conscious and          Other important elements of helping a
overloaded and ‘speaks’ throughperson eliminate or reduce anxiety can be role playing,
‘characters’ or phrases from TV shows; jingles;modeling, drawing pictures, sand play/therapy, social
objects; as another person or retreats to a corner,interaction skills assistance, incorporating their passions
drawing up the knees to their chest; mumbling; tumblingand interests, experiencing soothing activities (e.g. horse
words etc.. Each person’s response to anxiety canriding, going to the beach), writing in a journal, music,
be as individual as they are.dance, relaxation exercises..... the list could be endless.
          Underlying and possibly influencing theThe chosen methods, ultimately, are those that are
intensity of this experience may be undiagnosed andsuited to the individual.
or previously known medical/health, physical or          P.s. A sense of humour enjoyed with
psychological conditions, such as intolerances to certainthe autistic person is of paramount importance to their
substances in foods, depression, phobias etc..happiness, growth, learning experience, wellbeing,
          When assisting an autistic person orbonding with you, learning from you and their feeling of
child with dealing with Exposure Anxiety, assumingunderstanding, acceptance, respect and unconditional
other co-morbid conditions are simultaneously beingpositive regard from you.