What is Autism?

Autism is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects behavior, communication, learning and social interaction. Autism is a neurological disorder because it affects how the brain and nervous system function and a developmental disorder because it affects the way an individual develops.

When someone is on the autism spectrum it means that their neurodevelopment in early childhood was not typical. It does not necessarily mean that they have an intellectual disability, but it does mean that their brains are ‘wired’ differently – and therefore how they respond and react to life’s stresses and manage emotions will be different from neurotypical people.

People diagnosed with autism also often have problems with social communication and building and maintaining relationships. Because of this, when pursuing mental health counseling, autistic individuals will benefit most from a different approach.

What Are Some Signs of Autism?

Some of the ways autism can affect a person include:

• Problems with communication – autism can cause language and communication delays. Some autistic individuals remain nonverbal throughout their life.
• Difficulties with social interactions – an autistic person may have trouble interpreting nonverbal communication, like an eye roll, shrug, or facial expression. Autistic individuals can also have trouble seeing things from another person’s perspective and difficulties with regulating emotions. These are not due to any personal defects but to neurological differences associated with autism.
• Inflexibility to change – many people on the autism spectrum show a tendency to engage in a restricted range of activities. Adhering to a certain schedule, and keeping things a certain way in their homes or workspaces is very important and any change in routine can cause emotional distress.
• Repetitive behaviors – practicing repetitive behaviors can be common to those on the autism spectrum. In children, this can often show up as lining up toys or other objects. Both autistic children and adults can exhibit repetitive body movements (stimming), like hand flapping, spinning objects, fidgeting or body rocking, which is normally a way to deal with any sort of sensory overwhelm, anxiety, or other strong emotion. Some autistic individuals exhibit repetitive behaviors in the form of intense preoccupations or obsessions and may have an unusual collection of items or an intense interest in a topic (known as a special interest).
• Sensory sensitivities – most autistic individuals have sensitivities to loud or repetitive noises, bright lights, textures in food or clothing and can even hear at a different level or decimal than typical individuals.
• Difficulties with executive functioning – executive functioning (the mental processes that allow us to learn and use skills like organizing, planning, sustaining attention and inhibiting inappropriate responses) is often a struggle for those on the autism spectrum.

Autism is a spectrum, which means that different people experience different symptoms, and on different levels. Autism may cause major difficulties for some in one area but not in another, and be the complete opposite for another person.

An autistic person might:

• Have few or no problems with communication, be completely nonverbal, or anywhere in between
• Be extremely sensitive to certain sounds, bright lights, or have other sensory sensitivities, or they may not experience sensory sensitivities
• Struggle with socializing with others, not have any social difficulties, or be anywhere in between

What Causes Autism?

For a long time, we didn’t know what caused autism, but now we know that it’s something that someone is born with, mostly determined by genetics.

Support for Autism

Autism is something that lasts throughout a person’s life. There is no cure for autism, but someone on the spectrum can learn to manage any negative complications that come from autism. Autism is treated differently in adults and in children, and different therapy options will work better for different people. Because autism is a spectrum, it’s important to consider the unique individual, their needs, strengths and challenges when choosing a therapy.

Therapies that have had success with those who have autism are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Verbal Behavioral Therapy. 

These types of therapies can help autistic individuals learn how to:

• Understand and express their emotions
• Understand their frustration tolerance
• Process trauma
• Make decisions and set goals
• Manage their lives
• Understand autism and how it affects their lives
• Understand and meet sensory needs
• Deal with life transitions
• Manage their relationships
• Manage crisis situations
• Build social, communication, reasoning and life skills

At WTCSB, we understand that having a care team that understands neurodiversity is the most important thing when it comes to behavioral health care for autism. We offer mental health counseling for both autistic individuals and family members/caretakers with counselors trained to understand neurodiversity. We also offer individuals and families living with autism support through the REACH, ID/DD case management, day support, residential, and respite care programs.

You can get started today by making an appointment online for same-day access, or you can call us at 757-758-5106.