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Welcome to the neuro nurture podcast, dedicated to equipping and supporting families, navigating the world of autism and neurodiversity. I am your host, Kirsten Sullivan, who is on a mission to help autism families go from surviving to thriving. Welcome to the show. Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode. Today, we're going to be talking about a topic that can be both perplexing and it can be deeply concerning, not only for parents, but for therapists, for educators, anyone who's working with neurodivergent or autistic kids. This is regression or a lack of progress. Now, whether you're noticing that your child is losing skills that they once had, or perhaps you feeling that they are just not making progress as expected. It is really, really essential to intervene as soon as possible. And it's a very essential to approach the situation with a lot of understanding and practical immediate strategies. Now, I want to say that you don't have to stay. In a period of little to no progress with your child. Now I'm the type of person. I will keep ongoing until I find a solution to the problem. I will keep ongoing until I find a strategy that works right. If something is not working, We throw that strategy out and we implement, we try a new one. We trial an error, different strategies, different coping mechanisms, you know, by continuing with the same strategy over and over again, and it's just not working, this is what I see in a lot of homes and even sometimes in a therapy practice where. We trying the same thing over and over and it's not working. Now, not only can this lead to burnout, but when your child is constantly failing at something and they do not have enough activities in their day that they are good at, and that's actually giving them this confidence. They are really not going to be interested in wanting to carry on working on these skills that have to be developed. So it's really, really important to have this strong, solid team around you with people to consult with, to really bounce off of. I tell my clients all the time, message me anytime, use me, use me as your support, as giving you advice for whatever you need in that moment. Because sometimes when you feel like, you know, you're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, And even if your child is going for therapy, you know, a lot of parents, they feel this huge, tremendous weight over their shoulders. And they feel like they don't have anyone to talk to, to bounce off of use your team. They are there for a reason and take advantage of them. Let's just unpack understanding regression, right? So what is really happening here? Now, I want to clarify what regression means in the context of autism, regression typically refers to the loss of previously acquired skills. So, for example, if your child has maybe acquired a lot of language skills in the past, but now you see that there are regressing in certain areas of their communication or their pronunciation, or just their lack of verbal communication, this might be a sign of regression. It's important to note that regression is not uncommon in autism, but I want to say that especially when it comes to autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. I hear this all the time, this narrative of, well, yes, he's autistic. It is common that he will regress and there is nothing that you can do about it. Yes, there are struggles that come with autism conditions, but this does not mean to say that you have to remain in this period of little to no progress. a lot of research out there suggests that About 20 to 30 percent of autistic children experience some sort of regression. And this usually happens between, I think it's 15 to 30 months. If I'm not mistaken, regression can be very distressing. So it's very crucial to understand that it does not necessarily mean permanent loss. Now there's something called neuroplasticity, and this is your brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Now this means that skills that were once acquired, they can be regained and redeveloped over time with the right support. And this is why I always tell parents when you see your child, Going through a stage of regression or little to no progress. You want to intervene immediately. You don't want to wait for weeks, four months, you want to intervene as soon as possible to get your child the right support and to really help them regain those skills that have been lost, no one really understands why regression occurs, but it's most likely due to multiple factors. I read a journal article the other day that suggested that stress and anxiety can contribute to regression. So when an autistic child is overwhelmed by sensory input or their environment or changes in routine, they may regress as a coping mechanism. So there's also this possibility of underlying medical issues. So, gastrointestinal problems, sleep disorders, seizures, this can also contribute to regression. These are quite common in autistic individuals and they, they really can significantly affect behavior and development. So when we get into the second part of when progress seems stalled. This means that your child is perhaps in therapy, you're working on all of these skills. They're not in a period of regression, but they're not progressing as. You'd hope them to. So this can be equally as challenging, especially when you've been working so hard to support their development. It's important to remember that autistic and neurodivergent kids, they develop at their own pace. So progress may not always be linear and it might not be in a way that we think it should be just to put that in there. When looking at the research, a lot of autistic kids, they may experience these moments where development seems to stall before another burst of progress. So sometimes when I'm working, working with kids, when I'm doing therapy with kids, I often see this stalling of progress. And then all of a sudden we have this incredible breakthrough. It's important to also consider long term patterns rather than short term changes. If your child seems stuck, Or they seem like they are stalling. It might be a sign that they need a different approach. This is where, what I mentioned in the beginning by really having a supportive team around you by having therapists around you that understand this and that can help you and that can really give you a lot of different strategies to try out and in their own practice, where they are working on different strategies to help your child and where they're not doing the same thing over and over again, to a point where your child. Will burn out where they are not going to make any progress. Let's just dive into a few strategies of what you can do to support your child. The first thing that I always suggest is first to rule out any medical concerns. So if your child has a new or worsening physical symptom, consult with your doctor. Really ensure that your child's basic needs, their sleep, their nutrition, their physical health are met. This can often lead to incredible overall improvements and incredible overall functioning. The next thing that I would suggest is the environment. Really being very aware of, is the environment meeting my child's needs? Is the environment meeting autistic needs? Because when you are not in control of the environment, when you are not creating the right environment for you and your child, that environment will control your child. So we really have to be very clear on is everything in place that should be to help your child. It's very important to set very realistic and individualized goals for your child. progress does not always look the same for every child and that's okay, right? We want to focus on those little victories, those small achievable steps that really build towards larger goals. Now, perhaps this could even be a previous skill that they have acquired, but really, really play on that. Celebrate those victories. They are incredibly important in the grand scheme of things. Now, when I get back to the environment, so consistency, we know it reduces anxiety and it helps child feel more in control. You know, if you notice. Regression consider whether there have been any recent changes in your child's environment or routine. Simplify the daily schedule. If you are using a visual schedule, that's amazing. Really build in those expectations and realistic goals and activities that they like that you can celebrate those victories and also really adjust their environment to meet their needs. The next thing is I will always look at sensory needs. Is your child's sensory needs being met? What I mean by this is that When we don't prioritize self regulation, when we don't prioritize your child's nervous system, they are in this survival mode and skill development cannot occur. Your child can only develop and they can only acquire new skills when they are in a regulated and calm state, when their nervous system is regulated. Something that you can do is be very proactive in building those breaks into your child's day. So not just allowing them to play with their sensory item, but actually building in breaks, if you are an educator, for instance, really be proactive in joining them in. On these breaks as well building up those bonds and those really solid connections again this can really really aid in helping your child move back into their window of tolerance and move back into a very regulated state through that connection and then we can start to build on these skills that have been lost or when they are in this period of regression, that we can start to see some sort of a shift. The next thing is communication. Now, you know, I am big on communication. If a child does not have any way to communicate, chances are they will probably regress in the long run because they don't have any way to express themselves. They don't have any way to express their needs. So be very mindful of how your child is communicating with you. What are they doing? What are they saying? If they are non speaking, how are they communicating with you? Do you have an AAC device? Do you make use of pictures? Really plays a lot of emphasis and importance on building up that communication again, building up that trust and that connection and that two way communication, because that is what we're wanting to build on again. I know these seem like very basic strategies, but the first thing that I suggest to parents when the child is going through a period of regression or there are stalling is going back to basics. You want to go back and you want to start prioritizing and start, even if it's in a notebook, start making notes of all of the skills that they have acquired, build on that and go back to basics with the environment, with their sensory needs, with their communication. Really using that strength based approach to leverage your child's interests and strengths. There is so much research out there that shows that building on what a child is naturally drawn to can increase motivation and can lead them to more meaningful progress. If your child is really fascinated by certain objects or activities, incorporate that into their learning activities to maintain their engagement and really, really leverage on that, on your child's interests and strengths to build up those skills again. I just want to acknowledge that the emotional toll that regression or a lack of progress can take on a parent or a caregiver can be huge. It is so natural to feel frustrated and anxious and, you know, even helpless. And now remember that this is not a reflection of your efforts or your child's potential, you know, allow yourself the grace to feel these emotions, but also for yourself to seek support. So often we, we just want to seek support for our child. We're not really focusing on ourselves in that moment. Now we know that you cannot pull from an empty cup, that if you are not regulated, your child cannot be regulated. So whether that's through support groups or chatting to other parents, going through similar situations, or even seeking professional help during these moments and these times where your child might be struggling a bit more than usual, it might be really, really beneficial to reach out. So just to provide a bit of a summary of what was discussed, regression and a lack of progress are very complex issues, right? And this is a journey that requires patience. It requires persistence. It requires an extremely deep understanding of your child's individual needs. We know that progress, it's not always linear, but every step forward, no matter how small is a victory. So thank you for joining me today on the neuro nurture podcast. If you found this episode helpful, please share with others who might benefit from this information and as always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or topics you'd like me to cover in future episodes. You have been listening to the NeuroNurture podcast. Remember to subscribe. And if you have enjoyed this episode, please leave a five star review. This will help other autism families find podcasts like this to help them navigate the world of autism and neurodiversity. Until then, take care and celebrate neurodiversity in all its forms.