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Autism, Anxiety And Depression |
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With all of the other issues that are involved with autism, depression
and anxiety often go unnoticed. This is often because the autistic
person is not capable of expressing his emotions adequately. Depression
is a complex emotional disorder that affects millions of people. Even
people with the best communication skills have difficulty explaining and
understanding their depression. A person with autism has extreme
difficulty explaining and understanding his depression and anxiety.
Anxiety
is difficult to pinpoint in autistic cases because the autistic person
may show symptoms of anxiety on a daily basis. Many tasks can make an
autistic very anxious, especially if the task breaks the autistic
person’s usual routine. An autistic person relies on order and sameness
as a means of understanding his surroundings. Any change in routine can
cause great anxiety, but this does not mean that the autistic person has
an anxiety disorder.
Depression and anxiety are common in autism
and they can be very difficult to treat. It is very difficult to even
diagnose the conditions, and once they are identified they are difficult
to address because autistic people have so many communication and social
obstacles to overcome.
Many choose to treat depression and
anxiety in autism with medication. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety
medications are often used in autistic cases even when the autistic
person has not been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Doctors have
found that the antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications help
autistic people stay on task and decrease stereotyped movements often
associated with autistic disorder.
I have worked with one
autistic girl for several years. As she got older, she demonstrated some
signs of depression and anxiety. Her parents consulted with her doctor
who prescribed an antidepressant medication. I added some light therapy
and some sensory integration activities into her therapy routine. We
also introduced emotions into her program. Her depression and anxiety
have lessened and she is functioning very well on the medication. Her
attention to tasks has also improved greatly.
Parents who are
faced with the possibility of their autistic son’s or daughter’s
depression and anxiety may want to consider talking to their child’s
doctor. He may have a recommendation that will help lessen the despair
and hopelessness associated with depression and anxiety so their child
can focus on other things.
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