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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. Welcome back to another NeuroNurture podcast episode. Today's all about autism and anxiety, because as we know, autism and anxiety often go hand in hand and anxiety is oftentimes overlooked when your child may be experiencing really big emotions, they might be disruptive in their behavior, they might be engaging in certain behaviors that you might not understand why, and oftentimes anxiety could be the underlying cause. Of this behavior. It affects your child's mood. It affects their participation. It affects their experiences and it affects their daily routine. Now, when we look at the stats for autism and anxiety, it is no surprise that almost. Every single child that I work with, they experience some level of anxiety, and it might not be shown in the typical way that you would expect anxiety to, to show up. So these rates are incredibly high. Studies out there show that up to 40 percent of autistic children and teens, they may meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder. And You know, research points to to several contributing factors to sensory sensitivities to differences in social communication and and trying to meet those neurotypical social communication norms to disruptions in their routine and their environment and not knowing what is coming next. Now, A hyper responsive amygdala, which as you know, is your emotion center of the brain, often is associated with a heightened fight or flight response. And this is linked to elevated anxiety levels in autistic children and teens. Now this can lead to very intense emotional outbursts in environments that are often overwhelming and unpredictable. So in today's episode, I want to be giving you a lot of proactive and reactive strategies that you can do before the time and in the moment to help meet your child's needs and to best support them in moments of distress. Anxiety is both a psychological and a biological experience, and this is shaped by our minds attempt to respond and to combat and to really prepare for moments of unknown. Now, this is natural, but learning how to handle it is crucial, especially for those who perceive the world very differently. So to approach anxiety in autism. We have to step away from the traditional medical model and we need to rather view anxiety as a, as a reflection of the world's challenges on a neurodivergent mind. Now, rather than obviously making people fit into this world, which is oftentimes sometimes quite difficult, we need to make the world a better fit for the diverse range of the human experience. Now this is obviously easier said than done. And. Oftentimes, there are so many triggers that can set off anxiety in your child. And obviously, as we know, the world is not geared up for neurodivergent minds. It's just not. We live in a neurotypical world, so your child needs a lot of proactive strategies. They need a lot of coping skills. And, um, Perhaps they need a lot more coping skills than neurotypical kids, because one day when they're out in the world, if they're working, if they are studying, they need to have a very solid coping structure around them in order to do it. Keep their anxiety levels at bay. Now we can disrupt these patterns in your child. And I mean, disrupt in a good way, because with these triggers, we can proactively and reactively lower anxiety levels within your child. So this fear is very real. And I just want to touch on this for a moment, that things that we might seem that is really futile is, is just completely out of our scope of even thinking that this could be anxiety inducing that fear and that uncertainty and that unpredictability is very, very real within your child. So when we look at the psychological underpinnings of anxiety and autism. Anxiety in autistic individuals often stems from this overwhelming world, right? So, the unique way in which many autistic individuals process sensory information and social cues, this means that their situations, That may feel very unmanageable to them, can seem very manageable for neurotypical people, and this might provoke a significant amount of stress. So, if you know Tony Atwood, he's an autism researcher and he's a renowned psychologist in this field. And he mentioned, for those with autism, anxiety is a constant companion. So this frequent and intense anxiety can really influence their cognitive functioning. And I want to touch on the CBT techniques that I use specifically with my teens later on. But, and this also makes problem solving and flexible thinking. Very challenging, particularly under high stress situations. And this is why I always reinforce how incredibly important the environment is for autistic children and teenagers. Now, if you know, Dr. Temple Grandin, absolutely love her. And she mentioned that, you know, yes, the world needs all kinds of minds, right? But. This means that they also face very unique challenges navigating a world that does not always know how to accommodate to their needs. So when we look at the, the, the intersection of anxiety and, and social communication challenges, for instance, a lot of anxiety can stem from being very. Unfamiliar and an unfamiliar in a way to approach socially demanding settings, right? So these challenges can make it extremely hard to read social cues or predict how others will respond. And this can lead to an increased self consciousness and and worry. So, you know, autistic people, they often see details that others miss, right? These specifics that can sometimes make generalizations or quick social interpretations very difficult. So, as you know, I mentioned earlier in terms of, of cognitive behavioral therapy and the, the CBT techniques that I use, especially with my teenagers. I see that a CBT that is adapted to autistic individuals. Has been shown to reduce anxiety levels drastically. And this involves recognizing and challenging anxious thoughts. So you can almost think of it as a faulty pattern of thinking, right? So while CBT's traditional form might require an adaptation for autism. The focus on breaking down situations and identifying alternative thought processes. Resonates with a lot of autistic individuals. So when we look at the difference between understanding one's behavior, one's thoughts and one one's actions and how they interrelate, these strategies can promote a lot of self awareness within your child and a lot more of a nuanced understanding of emotions. And this can give autistic individuals really powerful tools to, to navigate anxiety and, and other emotional challenges that they experience. So the first strategy that I want to get into, and this is before going into, into proactive strategies, this is emotional awareness and identification. So. As you know, I love emotional regulation and I love implementing emotional regulation in all of my lessons and in my sessions that I do because teaching a child or a teen to recognize and name their emotions is at the center of managing anxiety. So for example, Obviously, I love using the zones of regulation and really understanding what you are feeling and why is the first step to controlling it. So the next strategy that I want to get into or the, the, the, the psychological impact is acceptance and validation. So the concept of acceptance and validation is very crucial. Amongst neurodivergent Children and teenagers in managing anxiety for for autistic Children and teens and validating. Your child's feelings instead of simply trying to fix them. You know, we, we constantly wanting to go into this fixing state where perhaps your child, and if they are autistic neurodivergent, they might need a lot more validation and acceptance than neurotypical children. Because they need to feel completely supported and felt and seen when their anxiety is acknowledged and accepted. It loses some of its power. So the next strategy that I want to get into is mindfulness and grounding techniques. Now, mindfulness, no surprise that it has a lot of proven benefits for, for managing anxiety. And, you know, you, as they say, you can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to serve. And this approach really aligns with understanding that anxiety might not be eradicated completely. It can be managed effectively. And if you struggle with anxiety, you will know that anxiety levels, they go up, they go down, you have triggers, but eventually, and with time and with proactive strategies, you learn how to control your anxiety levels. Now, the first proactive strategy that I want to get into is movement. Now I've seen firsthand how crucial movement is for autistic children in order to regulate their mind, their body, in order to get back to, to just a regulated state. So if you have a child who's constantly moving, they want to jump, they want to run, they want to spin around. This is meaning that they're already one step ahead and they are constantly regulating themselves. So if your child is already doing this, this is great, but you want to. Almost create this new norm where you can proactively schedule movement breaks for your child and obviously movement that they enjoy, that they enjoy doing and get them to engage in this movement frequently. Movement, it reduces so much anxiety, it reduces stress levels and it makes them feel less uncomfortable. Because if your child is experiencing a lot of anxiety, they are in this constant state of discomfort. So we are wanting to eradicate that as much as possible. So get your child moving. And obviously, depending on their, their sensory profile, if they are craving a lot of vestibular input or proprioceptive input, really go into that, research that and see what is best suited for your child and how they can regulate themselves through movement. Now, the next proactive strategy that I, that I would like to get into is sensory modifications. Now, sensory sensitivities is very, very common, and especially amongst autistic individuals. This overstimulation can lead to significant anxiety and proactive strategies. Some of the strategies that I love using Obviously creating a sensory friendly environment. So instance, noise, canceling headphones, adjusting lighting, creating quiet spaces, a sensory diet. So, so implementing this, this daily structured sensory activities that's tailored to your child's needs, helps really modulate responses and, and prevents anxiety, the next proactive strategy. Is social narratives and preparation. Now, as we know that anxiety is, is this fear of the unknown or this fear that something is going to happen. So something that I love using a social stories and narrative interventions, and this can help autistic individuals understand and prepare for situations that might induce anxiety. So if there is changes in routine or, or social interactions, that's These stories and you can make them, you can find them online. They really break down events into very simple, predictable, concrete steps. And this allows your child to feel a lot more prepared and a lot more in control. So the next proactive strategy that I want to get into, and I know I touched on this, the emotional regulation earlier, but really emphasizing emotional regulation. So whether that is, I love using the TIPP technique. So you can also look that up if you're interested in it. so really working on, on progressive muscle relaxation, working on paced breathing, can really also modulate their physical response to, to stress. So let's look at some reactive strategies now. Now, we obviously know that these moments will arise, right? Life happens, your child will become overstimulated, they will experience moments of extreme anxiety. And sometimes, even if we do implement all of these proactive strategies, your child, on some days, they might just be having a really tough day, and they need a reactive strategies from you in that moment in order to, to really just regulate themselves again. The first reactive strategy that I love using is verbal and visual cues. Now for many autistic individuals, they need a very clear, concise visual and verbal cues during extreme moments of Transcribed by https: otter. ai anxiety or heightened distress. So really play on the visual strings. You want to use a visual calm down card, a favorite item, even a short, very specific verbal reassurance can provide them the security and the support that they need to alleviate any anxiety in the moment that they are feeling right. And you can develop scripts. You can develop scripts and perhaps when your child is regulated and they're in a calm state, you can work with them to, to really unpack What they are wanting to hear in that moment, and you can actually develop these scripts. You can keep them, um, and you can just have them on hand and in your toolbox for when your child is experiencing these distressing emotions, moving on to the next reactor strategy that is calming techniques. So this is different for every child, but we want to develop specific calming techniques that works for your child. Some children, they love deep pressure activities, right? Like a weighted blanket, squeezes, pressure. Some love deep breathing exercises. So I want to touch on breathing for a moment here, because breathing is obviously an incredible tool because you don't need anything. You can be anywhere. All that you need is your body and the thing is breathing can sometimes be very boring. And sometimes what I see is breathing exercises and breathing techniques don't work because we don't have that buy in from the child. You need complete buy in from your child. So breathing is an absolutely incredible tool to use because it can center and regulate your nervous system and, and really build up your confidence. Tune into, to, to that parasympathetic nervous system that we're wanting to activate in order to bring your child back to, to base level, but we want that buy in from your child. So make it fun, get a straw with a glass of water in, blow bubbles into the, the glass of, of water. Or you can make these really fun breathing tools like little elephants, or, you can make like little animals with a straw that the child, your child can breathe through. You can even blow through bubbles or blowing out a candle or blowing a pinwheel. So really tune into, to that intrinsic motivation and, and get them to really, Participate and, and practice these exercises when they are in a regulated state, because obviously when your child is in this moment of heightened distress, if they don't know how to breathe properly or how to, to combat their anxiety in that moment, They are not going to be engaging in the breathing exercises when they're on moments of distress. This is not a time to teach a new skill. We're wanting to help activate the parasympathetic nervous system by promoting a calmer state. And whether that is guided relaxation or breathing exercises or deep pressure activities that I mentioned. Figure out the correct technique that works for your child. Now moving on to the next reactive strategy, and this is a redirection and positive statements. Now I love redirection because in moments of anxiety, redirection to a preferred activity or a topic or something that they really love can help deescalate the situation immensely. So this strategy can provide a. A mental break. And it gives us individual a sense of control and comfort, right? So we're shifting the focus to something familiar, to something enjoyable. A redirection strategy that I love using is the five, four, three, two, one technique. And you can also look this up if you want to, but this is tuning into your five senses. And when your child is, is perhaps a bit older. So I use this usually with my kitties who are four, five up. And this This technique essentially uses all of your senses and is very distracting to your child. And this can reduce anxiety significantly as well. Now, the next technique that I love to use is, I know I touched on this before, CBT techniques, but CBT techniques in the moment. We want to adapt with visual supports and then create very skill based exercises. But when we work on restructuring those negative thought patterns and those irrational thought patterns. Within your child. When we tune into the, using the CBT techniques in the moment, this can also significantly reduce anxiety in your child. So those are the reactive and proactive strategies that can really help your child in navigating anxiety and anxiety is complex. It's a it's a lifelong. process that you work through. And as someone who has experienced a lot of anxiety in the past and, and who has really struggled with, with getting the right strategies that, that work. I know firsthand what it is like to experience severe anxiety. And, you know, when it comes to specifically your child, and, and it doesn't matter what age they are, essentially you're wanting to. Really restructure their thoughts. You're wanting to disrupt these patterns of, of thinking. You're wanting to create a very safe and secure environment for them at home and at school. And you're wanting to create a lot of acceptance, a lot of validation, and just a lot of. Positive reinforcement at all times. Obviously you want it to make the environment as predictable as possible. Your child thrives on structure and predictability. And so by creating this very predictable environment can also lessen anxiety tremendously. So that is all that I have for you for today. I hope that you enjoyed this episode. I hope that this has given you some more insight into perhaps why your child might be experiencing some behaviors that you might not know what the reason behind it is. So that is all from me for today. I hope that you have a super week. We are nearing the end of the year. I hope that whatever you are doing, if you're gearing up for the festive season, if you're gearing up for holidays, if you are in the middle of exams with your child, if you are just trying to put one foot in front of the other, I am sending you a lot of strength, a lot of love, and I will catch you next time in my next episode. Until then, keep nurturing those neurodivergent minds. 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.