Tag Archives: mental health and autism

Mental Health Therapy and the Autistic Client: When Clinicians Don’t See the Autism (Can’t See the Forest for the Trees)

August 8, 2017Autism and Mental Healthautism, mental health and autismadmin

Today, autistic people, just like the population at large, find their way to therapy when symptoms of depression, anxiety, OCD and other diagnoses become problematic to them in their daily lives.

As clinicians we need to understand the autistic operating system – in other words, to see the autism – if we are to be helpful to our autistic clients. When we do not have a strong grasp on this the results are that our clients are not served well. Clinicians without a good understanding of autism generally make one of two mistakes. Last blog discussed the phenomenon “It’s All the Autism” which means once the autism has been diagnosed every symptom from that point forward is attributed to the autism. Today we will discuss the other mistake frequently made by clinicians when they do not recognize the autism.

Mental Health Therapy and the Autistic Client: Establishing Context

March 30, 2017Autism and Mental Healthmental health and autismadmin

Background Information:

The autism neurology gets hit with elements of confusion, chaos and change as a person goes through their day. How this happens is different for each individual on the spectrum. For example, Brady’s neurology startles to a touch on the arm, DeShawn’s neurology reacts adversely when it perceives a surprise change in the therapy room such as new curtains and Aysia’s neurology delivers a punch when her therapy routine was altered by Grandma bringing her rather than mom.

Autistic Difference in Visual Perception

February 7, 2017Growing Up Autistic, Autism and Mental Healthautistic experience, first person account, Diversity, sensory, mental health and autism, neurodiversity, autism acceptanceadmin

As a child, people sometimes thought I was stubborn and resistant when I did not want to allow them into my space or to do what they wanted me to do. They did not understand the negative effect they had on me and on my surroundings, and at the time, I did not have the words to explain it.

Eye Contact and Autistic Dissociation: One Expample

January 24, 2017Activism/Advocacy, Autism and Mental Healthautism, autistic experience, first person account, Diversity, mental health and autism, eye contactadmin

“Dissociation is the ability to cut off from what is happening around you or to you. In its simplest form it is daydreaming. It is a skill all children have and which children with autism tend to overdevelop in managing a world they find overwhelming for a whole range of reasons.” (Donna Williams at http://www.donnawilliams.net/333.0.htm)

Autistic Neurology and Behavior

December 29, 2016Autistic "Behavior"autistic experience, Diversity, neurology, autistic, mental health and autism, accommodation, autism acceptanceadmin

Autistic people use behavior just like people who are not autistic. Basically, when a problem is encountered, people behave in a way so as to fix the problem. We all do this, whether we are autistic or lack autism! However, we live in a majority-is-the-norm society. This means that the behavior most individuals employ to solve day-to-day problems is considered the norm. We call their behaviors solutions.