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There's a lot of discussion ITT about a hypothetical autism cure that doesn't exist yet, and not a lot about what we can actually do today to mitigate the effects of autism. I found out from this thread that Autism Speaks's solution to kids having meltdowns or panic attacks is to put weights on them.  But what about helping to teach kids and adults to manage those panic attacks in the first place?I was diagnosed with Asperger's when I was 13 (the whole family was on the spectrum so no one realised anything was wrong for years), so I was old enough to have some say in my treatment (and I was too young to have SSRIs back then). What really helped me was cognitive behavioural therapy to help me change the thoughts and beliefs that upset me, similar to what OCD patients get; and relaxation therapy, meditation and breathing exercises so I could stop a meltdown myself when I felt it coming on. No autistic person likes having meltdowns, we don't freak out and panic at things for fun, same as anyone with an anxiety disorder doesn't like having panic attacks, but they can be managed with pretty much the same treatment and therapy. There's certain things you can learn that help with social interaction too. I still can't read people very well, but I train myself to always think: "How would I feel if I were in this person's situation? How would I want to be treated?" and just act accordingly. Autistic people do feel empathy, but we just can't read people. If someone were crying, and we hadn't been taught that crying = sad, we'd probably just ignore them or be confused, but if that person said "I feel sad", we'd feel sorry for them and try to comfort them. Plus people love to talk about themselves, so you can just ask "how are you?" occasionally and they like it as long as you don't say it too often or at weird times in a conversation. And amateur dramatics, improv, role-play games or similar hobbies that involve acting somehow, are a good chance to practise social interaction. You read the play and you're told "This is how your character feels, this is their motivation, now try behaving like someone who feels that way". And as long as you respect the other actors' boundaries, you can practise socialising and expressing emotions and interacting with the other characters without any consequences. Lots of non-verbal autistic people have had success in learning ASL, ESL or Makaton too, so with a bit of study and practice from them and their carers, they can converse. There are lots and lots of things you can practise and try, usually initially conceived for treating other disorders, and not all of them work for everyone, but there's a lot out there that autistics can try out for self-treatment. It takes a long time and a lot of practice sometimes, and it's not a quick fix, but it helps the sufferer and their carers, family and friends. Autism Speaks has no interest in anything that takes time and effort, for all they recognise it's a lifelong condition they don't see that as being a whole lifetime to work on it and they don't support people in this kind of long-term practice and study. They just want quick ways to shut up an autistic kid having a meltdown and not focus on training them to handle the bad effects of their autism so they won't have any more in future.
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Jul 13, 2014 12:19
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| # ¿ May 9, 2024 21:07 |
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