Wanted to pass on this article that was sent to me on Aspergers and Anxiety. I know we have dealt with this issue and Riley quite often:
Question
How to deal with Aspergers anxiety?
Answer
For children with Asperger’s, anxiety can be overwhelming. What causes this anxiety? Just about anything can cause anxiety. The stress of social situations when you have weak social skills, changes in your normal routine or in the order of things, depression due to the loneliness that can come with lacking social abilities, and frustration. Truthfully, frustration is the root of anxiety in children with Asperger’s Syndrome.
In children with Asperger’s, anxiety builds as frustration builds. Something as simple as being forced to make eye contact and explain your reasons for choosing a certain book to read can cause frustration. Imagine trying to find the words you need and learning that some of those words are missing. Imagine having to look someone in the eye and feeling actual physical discomfort when doing so. Imagine eating in a noisy, crowded cafeteria when the sights, sounds, and smells are painfully overwhelming. Imagine having a deep desire to make and keep friends, but not having the social skills needed to accomplish this desire. Frustration is around every corner and with that frustration comes anxiety.
Asperger’s anxiety must be understood before it can be eliminated or at the very least, managed. Knowing the child’s anxiety triggers, or daily frustrations is a good place to start. A helpful tool for learning about your child’s frustrations is “The 5-Point Scale and Anxiety Curve Poster”, by Kari Dunn Buron and Mitzi Curtis. This chart allows the child to use a visual aid to categorize his levels of anxiety.
Once you know the child’s frustrations, you can make a plan for these stressful Asperger’s anxiety situations. There are several choices of treatments for parents to choose.
* Counseling is a common treatment option for anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, as well as psychological counseling can help. Social skills training, sensory integration therapy, and language therapy can also help with the underlying causes of a child’s anxiety-inducing frustration.
* In some cases, medication is a necessary treatment. Anti-anxiety medications can make it easier for children with Asperger’s Syndrome to deal with the depression and anxiety issues. Since medications are not for everyone, a trusted doctor‘s guidance is necessary.
* Parents can choose to teach coping skills at home. Search the Internet for published resources that can make the job easier and more effective.
Asperger’s anxiety is a serious condition and should not be taken lightly. Finding the right combination of stress management and treatments will help your family deal with the frustration that leads to anxiety.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Ah ha moment
During church yesterday I had one of those "Ah ha" moments. Attending a large church has it's definite advantages, and sometimes it can create an issue. Pinelake is a large church and the sight of all the people can be very intimidating for someone who has Asperger's Syndrome and sometimes for someone who doesn't have it.
We were excited to learn that Riley would have Susan's sister, Jessica and her husband Nick, as Riley's Sunday School teacher. At least having someone in the family as a teacher can be calming. However this week the Ragan family was gone on vacation. I did not really think about this prior to getting to church.
I dropped off the family at the door and went to park the car. As I came into church, I myself can feel overwhelmed at the number of people who attend church at times. So I stopped in to check on Riley before grabbing a seat for worship. He was sitting by himself waiting for church to start for the kids. I asked him if he was ok, and went about my way, as he said he shook his head yes.
While waiting for the sanctuary to empty, from the earlier service, I had the "Ah ha" moment. Susan was singing in the choir, so I was alone and I myself felt overwhelmed at the number of people. Then it hit me. If I was feeling nervous about being around the number of people, what was my son feeling with Asperger's? So I decided to go ask him. I went back to the kids worship center and asked him. "Riley, since Jessica is not here, would you like to come to big church with me?". A simple, but emphatic head nod yes was all I needed to get the point. He was struggling with everything. He came to the sanctuary, with a larger crowd, but this time he had a comforting factor, me. He did very well for his first time in the big church. I pointed out to him that Susan was singing in the choir, and he tried to get her attention by waving.
I know that seemed like a long winded story, and you may be thinking, "What's the big deal?". Well my "Ah ha" moment, was learning to change my thinking on how I see the world. I need to learn to look at the world through Riley's eyes. Instead of asking him to deal with our world, maybe we should change the world to reach out to those around us. Pinelake is an awesome place to worship with God's people. Coming together with His family and send our praises up. However for someone who suffers with social awkwardness, being in a room with a large group of people can be overwhelming.
We are learning every day to become better parents to a child with Asperger's. Learning to try and understand how he thinks and process information. Knowing where any problems may originate and cut them off. Make sure that we look at the world through his eyes, and try and process information in the same way he does.
Let's remember that not every person sees the world the way we do.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We were excited to learn that Riley would have Susan's sister, Jessica and her husband Nick, as Riley's Sunday School teacher. At least having someone in the family as a teacher can be calming. However this week the Ragan family was gone on vacation. I did not really think about this prior to getting to church.
I dropped off the family at the door and went to park the car. As I came into church, I myself can feel overwhelmed at the number of people who attend church at times. So I stopped in to check on Riley before grabbing a seat for worship. He was sitting by himself waiting for church to start for the kids. I asked him if he was ok, and went about my way, as he said he shook his head yes.
While waiting for the sanctuary to empty, from the earlier service, I had the "Ah ha" moment. Susan was singing in the choir, so I was alone and I myself felt overwhelmed at the number of people. Then it hit me. If I was feeling nervous about being around the number of people, what was my son feeling with Asperger's? So I decided to go ask him. I went back to the kids worship center and asked him. "Riley, since Jessica is not here, would you like to come to big church with me?". A simple, but emphatic head nod yes was all I needed to get the point. He was struggling with everything. He came to the sanctuary, with a larger crowd, but this time he had a comforting factor, me. He did very well for his first time in the big church. I pointed out to him that Susan was singing in the choir, and he tried to get her attention by waving.
I know that seemed like a long winded story, and you may be thinking, "What's the big deal?". Well my "Ah ha" moment, was learning to change my thinking on how I see the world. I need to learn to look at the world through Riley's eyes. Instead of asking him to deal with our world, maybe we should change the world to reach out to those around us. Pinelake is an awesome place to worship with God's people. Coming together with His family and send our praises up. However for someone who suffers with social awkwardness, being in a room with a large group of people can be overwhelming.
We are learning every day to become better parents to a child with Asperger's. Learning to try and understand how he thinks and process information. Knowing where any problems may originate and cut them off. Make sure that we look at the world through his eyes, and try and process information in the same way he does.
Let's remember that not every person sees the world the way we do.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Word for the week- Busy
So after working some crazy hours this week, Susan and I decided to take it easy this weekend. We cleaned house, I mowed the grass and cooked some delicious steak kabobs on the grill last night. Today we decided to come to the pool at the Y. Man is it hot outside. Even with an occasional breeze its still hot!!
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