Reducing Anxiety

This article is written by Michelle Jones, Project Manager, for Autism Acceptance month

We have previously written about anxiety and autism as it is a common concern. You can read our previous Anxiety and Autism article and Dear Advisor – my child gets anxious every time we go out…

In this article I want to focus on actions we can take in our approach, expectations and organisation of the environment to prevent anxiety from building up. Anxiety is a normal human emotion and cannot be removed entirely, however in order to enable our children and young people to remain in their zone of regulation where they can function best, we are likely to need to make some changes. What can seem like very small changes or adaptations can have big results for the autistic person’s wellbeing. The strategies described here can be used across the age range.

Routine and structures:

Don’t change things without warning.
All ages benefit from visual routines that show what is happening and when. This can be on a whiteboard, black board, piece of paper, phone, laptop or device. You could set up an audio scheduled for an autistic person who is visually impaired.
Accept that an autistic person may need to do things in a set order every day, this includes weekends and holidays.
Think about transition points in the routine, for example leaving home to go to work or school. These can be times of great anxiety. Think about what can be put in place to ease or prepare for the transition.

Planning:

Fail to plan, plan to fail.
Planning reduces uncertainty and therefore anxiety. You cannot just go with the flow.
Support with a weekly plan. For specific tasks they may benefit from being supported with a step by step plan or checklist.
If something new is happening provide as much information as possible before hand e.g. photos, videos, audio or written descriptions.

Communication:

Provide clear communication that is direct and factual, avoid idioms, metaphors and colloquiums.
Start with the person’s name and then wait to give them a chance to focus on you.
Slow down, most autistic people need time to process instructions. This can be as little as 10 seconds or as much as 60 seconds. You may need to repeat instructions but still give processing time, rapid fire instructions will raise anxiety.
Don’t give more than 2 or 3 instructions at once- Now and next; Now, next and then.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.
Don’t expect eye contact. Offer the option to communicate through other media e.g. text, video call, in person; ask what works for them.
At times autistic individuals may become non speaking, this is often called a shutdown and is an internal meltdown. Just because someone is quiet does not mean they are not distressed. Meet their basic needs, don’t demand they communicate.

Sensory needs:

Stimming shouldn’t be stopped unless harmful to self or others. Stimming may be annoying to you or others but that isn’t a reason to stop it.
Think about the impact of noise, you won’t necessarily be able to hear the sounds that they can. My daughter can hear the freezer through a wall. Smells can be overwhelming, perfume, your tuna sandwich, cleaning products. Sitting on a particular fabric may be really uncomfortable due to hypersensitivity or they may need a weighted blanket to feel secure.
Many autistic people have safe foods, allow them to stick to these foods and carefully introduce others when they are calm. They are not being “picky”, some autistic people never feel hungry and others never feel full. An anxious person is unlikely to want to eat.
Allow fidgets or sensory equipment. Allow headphones or ear defenders, sunglasses or hats. Using this things are not a sign of rudeness, they are trying to control their sensory environment and their anxiety.

Managing expectations:

This matters because if we set our expectations too high we can cause anxiety for autistic individuals. If they set their expectations too high for themselves they will be anxious.

Immerse yourself in their world:

There are a range of video clips that aim to give you an understanding of how it feels to be an autistic person in everyday situations. Watching these could help you to understand the level of anxiety your child or young person may be experiencing.