Indispensable People
Making the Gospel Accessible to people of ALL abilities so that they may know Christ, grow in Him, and serve Him with the gifts He has given them.
Indispensable People
Autism, ADHD - Perseveration, Hyperfocus, and Special Interests, Oh My!
Every person deserves the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him, and serve Him with their unique gifts, regardless of ability. This episode explores the complex, interrelated concepts of special interests, hyperfocus, and perseveration (looping) in individuals with autism and ADHD.
• Special interests provide joy, purpose, and self-regulation, potentially leading to expertise and career paths
• Hyperfocus describes intense concentration that can be both a strength and a challenge
• Perseveration involves involuntary repetitive behaviors triggered by stress or anxiety
• Understanding these patterns helps differentiate between passionate interests and anxiety responses
• Creating supportive environments through visual cues, schedules, and sensory accommodations
• Recognizing perseveration as neurological, not stubborn behavior
• Supporting individuals by addressing underlying causes rather than just behaviors
• Breaking down barriers to make Jesus accessible to everyone, regardless of neurodiversity
For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensable-people.com and visit Amazon to purchase the books The Indispensable Kid and Gospel, Accessibility and the Indispensable People.
Hi, my name is Tracy Correll and welcome to Indispensable People. I'm a wife, mom, teacher, pastor and missionary, and I believe that every person should have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given, no matter their ability. Over 65 million Americans have a disability. That's 25% of the population. However, over 80% of them are not inside the walls of our church. Let's dive into those hard topics biblical foundations, perceptions and welcome to this episode of Indispensable People.
Speaker 1:I'm so glad that you have joined me today. I want to share with you a little bit about perseveration, autism, hyper-focus and high interest, and although if you are unfamiliar with some of those words, they're going to seem like they have a similar theme, but we're going to talk about where they come from, why they come, what is the impact on the individual and how do you help them through it, or, especially when it comes to hyper-focus or high interest, how you can utilize those things to gain relationship, access and develop understanding and build an openness with an individual. So let me give you an example to start with. So I share a lot about my son, noah, and Noah is super interested in video games, computers and many things that are outside of my realm of understanding, mostly because I'm like a little old lady who doesn't like technology. I utilize it, it's just not my favorite thing and I don't like to learn how to use new things. And at one point my son, noah, says to my husband I just really can't talk to mom about those things anymore, mostly because after a certain point my eyes start to glaze over because I don't understand what he's saying. So we have even gotten to the point where he's talking about something that is so far outside of my understanding. I said to my husband I think he's making this up and I Googled whatever he was talking about and he was right. Of course he was right. Now, don't get me wrong, he's not always right, but he is very intelligent when it comes to computers and video games and all of that kind of stuff. Sometimes the information gets a little jumbled and mixed up, but overall he has 150-200% plus more understanding than I do.
Speaker 1:So we can look at Noah's special interest or high interest or hyper focus or any of those kinds of things through a different lens. And I wanted to talk with you about and this impacts especially those with autism and ADHD, where we're going to kind of define what is a special interest, okay, and it's an area of intense focus and passion. And it's an area of intense focus and passion and it says, like the definitions that I look up and focus on high interest and special interest, they really speak to autism, but I really think that this is definitely an area for those with ADHD and at times sometimes like it changes, which is kind of the idea of hyper-focus. So we'll get into that also. But a special interest can be long-term, it can last for years, even their entire lifetime, and it provides joy, purpose and, at times, self-regulation. And individuals with special interests can really develop deep knowledge, just like Noah in computers, great enthusiasm for those chosen subjects or topics or items, and they can eventually even lead to potential career paths, which is actually what's happening with Noah. He will start at Tech High School in just another two weeks where he will study cybersecurity. So the next definition that we're going to define is hyperfocus and this refers to like an intense state of concentration and absorption into a specific interest, task or activity. During the hyperfocus the individual becomes deeply engrossed, potentially losing track of time, ignoring other environmental cues or responsibilities, and this intense focus can be a significant strength. Take that hyper focus and put it in employment or you know something like that, whether it's writing, all that other kind of stuff. But it can lead to neglecting basic needs, like there'll be people it will be you know 10 o'clock at night and they'll be like, oh, I didn't even eat today. But also it could lead to burnout because of the intensity of the hyper-focus.
Speaker 1:Next we're going to talk about per, not perseverance, perseveration, okay, and so perseveration involves the involuntary repetition of actions, thoughts or speech patterns beyond, like an initial trigger, and it persists without a clear stopping point. Perseveration can manifest in various ways, such as repetitive movements, verbal repetitions or cognitive perseveration, where you're fixating on your thoughts and those kinds of things. It often serves as a coping mechanism for managing stress, anxiety and sensory sensitivities, and I will tell you that a lot of times in moments of deep stress, noah will start talking about computers, so the thing that he has a special interest on becomes something that he uses in that moment. I will also tell you that perseveration is a term that's been around forever, but a newer term for perseveration, especially with those diagnosed with autism, is called looping. So it's the exact same definition the involuntary repetition of actions, thoughts, speech, patterns, but they just call it looping. So there are three kind of ways that these things are intertwined. Okay, so special interests are what? Okay, it refers to what the specific areas that captivate an individual.
Speaker 1:Hyper-focus describes the intense, how, the profound level of concentration and immersion that can occur when engaging with a special interest, and perseveration represents the broader tendency towards repetitive thoughts or actions, often triggered by stress or anxiety. So we need to understand the impact, because why does this matter to us, especially if we're in a ministry setting? Well, if we can identify if it is a special interest, something that they're interested in, or if it's something that they're super focused on in the moment, or if it is perseveration or looping, where it's typically tied to stress or anxiety, then we can help to understand and interact appropriately with the individual. So the strengths of these things intense focus can lead to expertise, creativity and skill development. Right, those all sound like really great things and they provide a joy, like a sense of purpose, and a lot of times my son Noah will, I think he capitalizes on his knowledge in that area and in some cases Phil feels as though maybe it makes up for deficits in other areas that he has, the challenges associated with these things.
Speaker 1:Hyperfocus can lead to neglecting self-care and daily responsibilities and the looping can interfere with daily functions and social interactions and social interactions, and that this is, you're going to see, stress and anxiety tied to all of this and they might be unable to engage even with a special interest. Sometimes they'll utilize that as a part of the perseveration, but it will be difficult to transition away from that hyper-focused state when anxiety and stress is connected to it. So, yeah, we want to make sure that we're embracing special interests. We want to encourage and support exploration of that, recognizing their value within it. It might be a gifting that they have in and through it to help in any of these cases, using visual timers and schedules, reminders to help the individual with their time, ensuring that their basic needs are met and transitions are smoother. We can develop some attention shifting skills by utilizing those visual timers, visual cues, designated break times to help individuals shift their focus when necessary. And also, we want to address those underlying factors and recognize that sensory sensitivities, anxiety, executive functioning difficulties can contribute to these behaviors and provide appropriate interventions or support. And then, if need be, obviously this isn't us as the church doing this, but seeking professional guidance through counselors or therapies or behavioral things can help tailor specific strategies to that particular individual and help them manage the hyperfocus, the perseveration or the looping, and help those individuals thrive.
Speaker 1:So here's something else I wanted to point out to you. When it comes to perseveration, which again is tied to anxiety and stress, it's not a deliberate or stubborn act, like they just keep talking about it and they won't let it go. It's really automatic and involuntary and it stems from how the brain processes information. So with that, and knowing that it is an involuntary thing, we want to figure out, okay, what are the coping mechanisms that can be handled. Now, again, it's typically triggered by stress, anxiety, sensory sensitivities or other neurological differences, and so here are some things that you'll see with it Some verbal things repeatedly asking the same question or fixating on a particular topic, using the same phrase over and over again. Behaviorally, you might see repetitious movements like flapping or rocking and insisting on the same routine. You might, in a cognitive aspect, you might experience persistent, unending thoughts or concerns. So that's just a more in-depth explanation of that. So here's why it's happening.
Speaker 1:Okay, especially those with autism and ADHD, the difficulty with cognitive flexibility. Right, we know that a character trait that comes along with autism especially is that flexibility in thought. So if they're not experiencing that, they're going to struggle and that's going to trigger getting stuck on that need for that schedule that you know. Order of things, whatever it might be, when we consider the sensory sensitivities, perseveration can happen as a way to cope with those overwhelming sensations and anxiety, and stress makes it harder to regulate emotions and behaviors and then them trying to get back to that baseline of comfort, of structure, that kind of thing. And then add to that some information processing, where individuals with autism they process information in kind of a detailed, focused way, making it challenging to disengage from a particular topic or activity. And the best thing that I can think of to describe that is kind of like a black hole when you just keep digging and digging and digging and digging into that same information.
Speaker 1:So how do we take all of these things? Understand what they are, which we've defined them, we've helped to understand some of them, but let's focus more on the looping, the perseveration, and really we look for the root, underlying causes and then if we can address those, then we can kind of change the direction, the direction, and so when we look at specific triggers or functions, we want to develop those effective interventions. So strategies like interruption, distraction, redirection can be if your brain is focused on one thing, it can't see the other and we can use that same thing as the focus goes from perseveration to something new. So if you want to introduce something new, comfortable, familiar, interest that's a high interest thing can bring them across over to that. So that can be some things that we're not going to do as the church but can help an individual on the outside.
Speaker 1:Is some sensory integration therapy working to help kind of take away the triggers of those sensory sensitivities that they're experiencing? However, as the church we are not going to be doing that therapy. But if we know the triggers of those sensory sensitivities, then we can either provide an environment that supports it, we can offer tools to help navigate that situation Something as simple as you know noise-canceling headphones or sunglasses for bright lights, those kinds of things. The other thing is is the when you're considering cognitive behavioral strategies, we want to help the individual develop some self-awareness and manage the anxiety. So, for example, I see that you are, so let's take a walk or a break. Or, you know, let's go sit in this chair or you know something like that that can shift their focus away from those thoughts and things that they're stuck on. So, again, redirection, you know, providing a new thought atmosphere, that kind of thing, and then also understanding that patience and support will really take you a long way. It's important to approach perseveration with patience and understanding, providing that supported environment where individuals feel safe to explore new coping mechanisms.
Speaker 1:And the thing is sometimes with the church, the individuals that we get to serve will come in with strategies and some will work and some won't, because it's in a completely different environment. But also those parents or the caregivers may be trying to figure out things as well. So we have to be supportive in that situation and maybe identify something that will help and be comforting in those situations. And it's all because every person should have the opportunity to know Christ, to grow in Him and to serve Him. And we do that by breaking down barriers, making people feel comfortable and as though they have a place, because they do, and make sure that Jesus is accessible through the barriers that are broken down and the church that reaches out and shares the love of Jesus.
Speaker 1:And we want to do that, with our best understanding, that not everyone is like us and not everyone is like them and not everyone is all the same, and that's exactly the way that God had intended, and so we can reach out with the love of Jesus, make him accessible and make sure that we provide an environment that says you belong, you are loved and you have a place and a purpose here. Do I know everything about disability ministry? Do I have all the answers? Have I done everything perfectly? I have absolutely not, but we are going to continue this conversation so that people of all abilities can have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given them. For deeper dives into these topics and more, check out indispensablepeoplecom and visit Amazon to purchase the books the Indispensable Kid and Gospel, accessibility and the Indispensable People.
