Autism Anxiety Overload

The renowned autism expert Tony Atwood is fond of
putting it this way: “Autism is anxiety looking for
a target.”

Autism and anxiety go hand-in-hand.

Autism affects a person’s ability to communicate
with others or to understand the world around him,
and that’s bound to cause anxiety and panic sometimes.

Anxiety becomes even worse when there is a change in
the autistic child’s routine.

Even positive and “fun” changes, like a school field
trip or a visit to the zoo, can increase anxiety and
aggressive behaviors.

For parents, the best course of action is to
anticipate upcoming changes and help your child
prepare for them.

Many parents find it helpful to use stories and
pictures to prepare children for impending
disruptions.

If it’s a field trip to the zoo, for example, use
pictures to show your child what he’ll see at the
zoo, what the zoo will be like, and what sort of
things to expect.

Do this each day for three or four days prior to
the trip.

That way, when the trip actually happens, the
child won’t be entirely out of his element, but
will already understand and appreciate some of
what will be happening.

Other changes in the routine are less enjoyable but
still necessary.

Getting a new teacher can be traumatic, as can
moving to a new house.

If at all possible, try to spread out the major
changes.

If you move to a new house, try to do it during the
summer, so that your child won’t have to deal with
the added anxiety of getting a new school and new
teacher mid-year.

You can also introduce your child to the concept
of “change” in a positive way by practicing with
non-negative things.

For example, just for practice, give him a little
extra TV time instead of homework time one night,
to show that changes in the routine can often be
fun and good.

Then practice with a neutral change (homework after
dinner instead of before dinner), then with a
negative one (changing play time into chore time).

This process can help your child grow accustomed
to the idea of change and learn to adapt without
becoming anxious.

For continual, ongoing anxiety, many parents have
begun using anti-anxiety medications for their
autistic children.

Usually, the medications are selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and are also used
for obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression.

Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft and Anafranil are all
common for anxiety in autistic children.

For behavioral problems, antipsychotics such as
Haldol, fluphenazine and chlorpromazine can be
prescribed.

These can reduce aggression in autistic kids,
but sometimes also cause sedation and muscle
stiffness.

All patients are different.

You and your doctor should monitor your child’s
progress very closely, using the lowest dose of
medication possible, to see if what improvements
it makes and whether there are any adverse
reactions.

Medication should be the last resort for autism,
not the first one.

There are a number of natural remedies available
if you don’t want to go down the drug route.

But try behavioral and dietary modifications
first, to see what improvements can be made
naturally.


The Parenting Autism Resource Guide:

A Complete Resource Guide For Parents
Who Have Children Diagnosed With Autism.