Ryan Rivera found my blog and the post I had written about Griffin's anxiety so he asked me if I could publish this article and I gladly agreed to do so. As far as my knowledge and experience goes with Griffin this article rings true but I cannot claim to guarantee all his methods. Do read on because I feel that it is very informative.
5 Modern Techniques to Relieve
Anxiety and Improve Comfort in Autistic Children
Persistent anxiety is a common problem
with autistic children. Stress and anger often manifest themselves
into serious anxiety issues, and without the right treatment, this
anxiety can take its toll on the quality of life of you and your
child.
Traditionally, anxiety disorders are
treated by therapy. While cognitive behavioral therapy has shown
benefits for children living with anxiety disorders, the
communication and interpersonal issues associated with autism may
make it less effective as a long term strategy. That is why
researchers are developing new techniques to try to combat anxiety in
children with autism spectrum disorders.
Causes of Anxiety in Those with
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Children with autism tend to experience
greater levels of anxiety than typically developing children. There
are many potential causes of anxiety, and the more anxiety a child
experiences, the more they are at risk for persistent anxiety issues
in the future. Some potential causes of anxiety include:
- Lack of Routine – Children with autism are much more comfortable when they have a regular routine. If something breaks that routine – either because of a move or a change in the household or because no routine has been successfully established – it can cause the child to experience considerable stress that may become persistent anxiety.
- Frustration – Autistic children are often trying to communicate and can be frustrated when they are not understood or their needs are not being met. Frustration is a powerful emotion, and the energy they experience may manifest as anxiety.
- Fear – Like frustration, fear and confusion can also be powerful emotions that may increase feelings of anxiety. Any type of strong negative emotion has the potential to become excess and misplaced energy that can cause your child to experience anxiety. Fear may also be caused by too much sensory information.
- Socialization Difficulties – Children with autism often struggle with forming friendships. The act of socializing may cause its own frustrations and anxiety, but exacerbating the problem is the lack of perceived social support that some autistic children experience. Psychological studies emphasize the importance of social support with anxiety and other disorders.
- Family Stress – If you are experiencing stress of frustration, your child may easily pick up on it. Autistic children may be easily affected by the family dynamic, and the more they are sensing stress for you or your partner, the more it may affect them.
Most children experience minor levels
of anxiety in these situations, and it does not develop into an
anxiety disorder. But if the anxiety becomes more common and
consistent, your child may have developed a serious anxiety disorder,
and treating that anxiety is an important part of creating a better
quality of life for your child, and for you.
Developments in Anxiety Treatments
for Children with Autism
Several organizations and researchers
have been looking into effective ways to treat anxiety in children
with autism spectrum disorders. Like most activities, their success
depends largely on your child’s ability to work with the program.
The most important thing is to find a program that your child will
adjust to, because with autism there is no such thing as a guaranteed
solution. However, many of the following activities and therapies may
be useful for improving recovery.
- Surf Camp
Surf camps are one of the most
interesting new developments in anxiety reduction for autistic
children. During the year, children attend a camp with trained
surfers to learn to surf, both with others and one on one. The camps
have shown success in improving self-esteem and providing children
with an outlet that may decrease their anxiety.
Parents are often allowed to attend,
which may improve bonding and give parents a potential activity to
complete with their children. Surf camps are meant to provide a
stress-free outlet that could have potential long lasting benefits.
- Compression
Most parents of children with autism
are familiar with compression. Children with autism often have an
interesting sensory processing system that differs from non-autistic
children. It’s been found that compression (sometimes referred to
as “deep touch” or “deep touch pressure”) has calming effects
on many autistic children.
Placing pressure on the shoulders,
elbows, feet, fingers, and other joints is able to improve the flow
of sensory information to the central nervous system, which helps
children focus and decreases their need to provide their own type of
stimulation.
Parents are easily able to perform
compression techniques using their hands, but research is also being
conducted on machines that may be able to provide more beneficial and
balanced compression around the child’s body. A hug machine
developed by Dr. Temple Grandin in 1965 has been used in some
treatment programs, and modifications are still in development for
similar devices that may help reduce anxiety in the future.
- Body Brushing
Body brushing is similar to
compression. It was developed as a therapy technique for ADHD but has
shown benefits for children with autism. Using a special soft brush,
you or a trained therapist will rub the brush firmly against the
child’s skin. Research has shown that body brushing for 5 minutes a
day can have a lasting calming effect for as long as two or three
hours depending on the child. Body brushing needs to be done several
times a day to have the maximum effect. Also, it’s important that
you only brush the correct areas. The arms, legs, back, shoulders and
feet are the best areas for the body brush. Brushing other areas (the
face, stomach, or the neck) may only cause discomfort.
- Modified Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Traditional cognitive behavioral
therapy has been effective for non-autistic children, so researchers
have been developing similar techniques for children with autism
spectrum disorders. Most strongly resemble their traditional
counterparts, but are more likely to integrate relaxation techniques
and focus on social issues. It’s also been shown that effective
cognitive behavioral therapies may improve overall social functioning
and initiation, and it especially useful for children with high
functioning autism spectrum disorders. Families are also included in
most childhood CBT techniques.
- Play Therapy
Play therapy has also had success as a
treatment option for childhood anxiety. Play therapy involves simple
interaction with a child, where the therapist plays with toys or
blocks along with the child. The child then shares their problems
(frustrations, stress, etc.) through the toys, interacting with the
therapist in a way that reveals some of the issues that are bothering
them. Once those problems are shared, the therapist then discusses
those issues with the child while the two continue playing.
There are several variations of play
therapy. Studies have shown that block therapy, most commonly
referred to as LEGO Therapy, works very well with autistic children.
While generally designed to improve communication and social
competence, LEGO therapy also appears to also reduce anxiety.
Addressing Anxiety in the Home
One of the main causes of anxiety in
autistic youth is persistent anxiety in the home – especially
anxiety with parents and other children. That is why family therapy
and addressing your own stress and anxiety issues is one of the best
things you can do for your child.
It’s also important that your child
be surrounding by a supportive and educated environment so that their
needs are understood, both at the home and at school. Before you can
hope to handle your child’s anxiety issues you must be able to
address your own, and those of the people that surround your child on
a regular basis.
The Importance of Addressing
Childhood Anxiety in Autistic Children
Childhood anxiety is a serious problem
– both in autistic and non-autistic children alike. In the past,
anxiety has been treated like a temporary problem, especially in
traditionally developing children. Children with anxiety are expected
to grow out of their anxious issues as they get older, and little is
done to address their needs with the expectation that these children
will learn how to cope with general fear and anxiety and live a
healthy life as an adult.
But studies have shown that even in
traditionally developing children, the long term outlook for kids
with anxiety disorders is somewhat discouraging. While some do
recover, many also go on to developing more serious problems as
adults, including depression. As a parent of someone with autism,
it’s important to make sure that your son or daughter is treated as
a child, because you do not want to introduce another potential
difficulty in your child’s development.
Finding a Treatment That Works For
Your Child
Childhood anxiety is already a serious
problem. When it affects a child with autism, it is important to seek
out effective treatment options. Surf camp, compression, and other
methods of keeping your child calm are effective, and therapy has an
excellent long term outlook, but the key is finding something that
works for your child, and paying attention to any new solutions for
general and social anxiety. Every day there is research designed to
locate new ways to help autistic child adjust and cope, and any one
of these methods may be an effective way to reduce your child’s
anxiety.
About the Author: Ryan Rivera has spent
his life dedicating himself to research and treatment into anxiety
disorders and recovery. To learn more, visit www.calmclinic.com’>www.calmclinic.com.
