Mindfulness for Everyday Living by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030516185
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Mindfulness Approaches for Managing Uncertainty in Autism

I was speaking recently with an autistic adult about how I was writing this chapter about anxiety in autism. I told him that I was going to highlight the contributions of sensory processing, emotion awareness, and uncertainty. He replied that those are all important to talk about, but in his mind, “it all comes down to uncertainty.” This reminds me of another story about Liam, the young boy whose metaphor about human dodgeballs began this chapter. His mom reported that during a family party, most people were watching a movie in the living room when someone said that Liam had made a mess in the bathroom. First his mom and then his stepdad became increasingly agitated while telling Liam to clean up his mess; he sat on the floor in the next room crying but not moving. Finally, Liam’s grandmother went to him and asked, “What’s wrong, Liam?” To which he replied: “I don’t know what to do!” His grandmother took him to the bathroom, reviewed the situation with him, and gave him specific suggestions on what to do about it. Liam then cheerfully cleaned up the mess. This brings up the question of “will versus skill”; e.g., when struggling to do something they are asked to do (at home, at school, at work), is it because the autistic person is intentionally refusing to do it or because they don’t know how? While it’s often easy to assume the former, the latter is often truer.

Knowing this provides an opportunity for others to provide assistance, both by increasing the level of instruction or support that is needed to complete a project and also by helping those affected by intolerance of uncertainty to manage it better. At home and school, adults can provide more certainty in the autistic child’s world wherever possible. We recommend using lists, schedules, or charts to organize activities such as chores, homework, or other areas of conflict. Such lists can rely on pictures and/or words according to the needs of the individual. At home, parents may use a homework chart with simple rewards for concrete tasks, like the one pictured here. This can make power struggles less frequent because the instructions are on the chart, not with the parent. When the person knows what to do, they are much more likely to do it then if they are confused. At school, teachers may write up the order of daily activities on the board, including places the child needs to go during the day. Many teachers do this already, and we think it would help in every classroom but especially classrooms with autistic children. To-do lists are helpful for adults especially if they can be checked off when finished. Keep expectations simple and avoid all-or-nothing scenarios: have a few activities with good instructions that will encourage and reward success, and let the rest go (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5Making tasks simple and easy to know when they are done can be very helpful. Avoid all-or-nothing

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