If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with autism, it can be challenging to comprehend the disorder. This is especially true if you are unfamiliar with the many varieties of autism and how they are currently classified.
Originally, the medical establishment classified autism as five distinct illnesses. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) updated its rules in 2013 to designate only one type of autism, referred to as ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a common symptom of autism, and many children with autism also exhibit obsessive-compulsive behaviors (OCD). They might be as basic as continually touching or washing the same objects, or they can be as complicated as an obsession with germs.
Often, stimming serves a constructive purpose, such as when an autistic person repeatedly touches a table to relax or stimulate their senses. It is a non-emotional, self-soothing strategy for dealing with boredom or worry, but in OCD it can become a compulsion.
The notion of risk or harm triggers these compulsions in OCD. These ideas imply that the individual feels powerless or incapable to confront their fears. Some individuals can break the connection between obsessions and compulsions if they receive treatment for OCD.
Repetitive activities are the most common and challenging symptom of autism. They may include repetitive hand flapping, body motions, and vocalizations. Several experts feel that these activities are essential for autistic individuals to manage stress and anxiety. But, if they are intense enough or self-injurious, they can also cause social problems and bodily harm.
The most effective method for reducing repetitive behaviors is to identify their underlying cause, which could be anxiety or stress. This can be accomplished by asking the individual what is triggering their behavior and assisting them in gaining a better understanding of how to manage their emotions.
Social interaction difficulties are a hallmark characteristic of autism. They can be aggravating and detrimental to an individual's quality of life. These can include trouble initiating a conversation, recognizing facial emotions, and responding to others in social situations. In addition, they can cause anxiety and a lack of social engagement.
Several tactics can aid autistic individuals in learning to communicate more effectively and enhancing their social skills. Social tales, for instance, aid in concretizing and visualizing abstract concepts.
In addition, they can aid a person in recognizing and regulating various emotions. In addition, they can highlight what has been stated in a conversation and the intents of others.
According to Winter-Messiers, autistic people can derive major benefits from these specific hobbies, despite the hurdles and difficulties they entail. She recommends that teachers and therapists assist these children in utilizing their specific interests to improve classroom performance, social skills, academic task mastery, and coping mechanisms.
Gunn and Delafield-Butt discovered in their study that the Adaptive Coping scale was substantially correlated with the BASC-2 Leadership subscale, which measures "skills associated with achieving academic, social, or communal goals, including the capacity to collaborate with others" (Reynolds and Kamphaus, 2004).
Adaptive Coping is orthogonal to both the Perseverance and Social Flexibility variables. If a confined interest has few negative features (high Perseverance) but many positive aspects (high AC), it may be worthwhile to treat it with a treatment plan that takes into account both factors.