Anxiety in adults with an autism spectrum disorder

I came across a website:  www.autism.org.uk.

The information on this site was really informative and easy to read. I thought I would share !  The following article has been resourced from this website.

Anxiety in adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Anxiety is a real difficulty for many adults with Autism or Asperger Syndrome. It can affect a person psychologically and physically. This guide talks about the different ways you can manage anxiety, from keeping a diary to learning relaxation techniques and getting support from others in a similar situation.

Anxiety can happen for a range of reasons and people with Autism or Asperger Syndrome can vary in their ability to cope with it.

Emotions are abstract. To understand emotion you need an imagination. One of the areas of difficulty for people with autism is not being able to imagine things, so understanding emotions can be difficult for them. People with high-functioning autism may understand some emotions and recognise the feelings that are associated with them. By helping someone to understand anxiety, you can help them to manage it better. 

Resources such as those sold by Incentive Plus as well as the Autism Research Centre's CD ROM, Mind reading, can help teach someone with autism about emotions.

Anxiety can affect both the mind and the body, and produce a range of symptoms. The psychological and physical symptoms of anxiety are closely linked and so can lead to a vicious cycle that can be difficult to break. 

The psychological symptoms of anxiety are:

·         easily losing patience

·         difficulty concentrating

·         thinking constantly about the worst outcome

·         difficulty sleeping

·         depression

·         becoming preoccupied with or obsessive about one subject.

   

It's physical symptoms include:

·         excessive thirst

·         stomach upsets

·         loose bowel movements

·         frequent urinating (going to the loo)

·         periods of intensely pounding heart

·         periods of having gas

·         muscle aches

·         headaches

·         dizziness

·         pins and needles

·         tremors.

Strategies for managing anxiety

Once someone understands anxiety and has identified the things and situations that make them anxious, they can then take steps to cope with the anxiety. If you are looking after someone with autism, try and be aware of what makes them anxious and how best to help them manage certain behaviours.

Keep a diary - To help someone with autism understand anxiety, get them to understand the symptoms they display when they are anxious and to look at the causes of their anxiety. Keeping a diary in which they write about certain situations and how these make them feel may help them to understand their anxiety and manage it better. 

Use the diary also to think about the physical changes linked to anxiety. Someone with autism often retreats into their particular interest if they are anxious about something use the diary to monitor this as well.

Meltdown prevention plan - Create an anxiety plan when someone with autism is feeling positive about things. An anxiety plan is a list of things and situations that cause anxiety as well as solutions and strategies they can use to help them manage their anxiety levels. The plan can be adapted, depending upon how well someone understands anxiety:

Relaxation techniques - Someone with autism can find it very difficult to relax. Some people with autism have a particular interest or activity they like to do because it helps them relax. If they use these to relax, it may help to build them into their daily routine. However, this interest or activity can itself be the source of behavioural difficulties at times, especially if they're unable to follow their interest or do the activity at a particular moment. Some people may need to be left alone for short periods of the day to help them unwind. 

Physical activity can also often help to manage anxiety and release tension. Using deep breathing exercises to relax can be helpful as can activities such as yoga and Pilates, which both focus on breathing to relax. Use a visual timetable or write a list to help remind the person when they need to practice relaxation.

Any other activities that are pleasant and calming such as taking a bath, listening to relaxing music, aromatherapy, playing on a computer may also help reduce anxiety. Some people may find lights particularly soothing, especially those of a repetitive nature, such as spinning lights or bubble tubes. 

You may need to encourage adults who are less able to take part in these activities so that they can enjoy their benefits. You can do this by explaining when and where they will do the activity and what it will involve. You may have to go along with the person at first and do short periods of activity to begin with.  

Talking about anxiety. Some people with autism find direct confrontation difficult. They may therefore be unable to say they don't like certain things or situations, which will raise their anxiety levels. If they identify they are anxious, they could use a card system to let family or friends around them know how they are feeling. At first, you may need to tell them when to use the card and prompt them to use it when they do become anxious. 

They could also carry a card around with them to remind themselves of what they need to do if they start getting anxious. You could also give them a stress scale that they can use whenever they find something particularly stressful.

Getting support from other people with Autism

*Glass half empty, glass half full: how Asperger's syndrome has changed my life 

by Chris Mitchell 

*Making sense of the unfeasible: my life journey with Asperger syndrome 

by Mark Fleisher

*Thinking in pictures 

by Temple Grandin

We also produce a quarterly newsletter called Asperger United. It is written by people with autism and includes personal accounts of having autism. Find out more at... www.autism.org.uk/aspergerunited