CBT

CBT is often mentioned here, as the treatment most helpful for those on the spectrum. I think that it is being built up in the minds of some people, to be a miracle remedy that will change their lives easily.

CBT is more, an idea about how you can move forward in life. It rarely changes anything on day one, and needs to be worked at, harder than you can imagine.

I had, what I now know to be CBT many years ago. The only thing that changed was that I acquired hope for the future. It was more like taking a fork along a footpath, than some life changing experience.

It is , for the NHS, expensive, and is therefore brief. You are given a set of ideas, and some practical examples of how to use them, then you are on your own. It is you who has to learn how to do it. I had some brief follow up, a year later, with group discussions about how people changed their attitudes, but that is it.

For those who want to try it, I think the best approach might be, to put into practise one piece of advice, given during a consultation, and noting down how you went about changing this one aspect of your life. Give examples of how this has improved one or two situations, you have found yourself in, then ask for more advice.

So many people who have CBT say nothing much has changed, and I need more now. They can follow the specific examples for them, given in training, but do not pick up on the need to implement it themselves in other situations.

If you can show that you have benefitted from help given, and can use it in other situations, then you will be able to access more help, even if it is one new idea, from a health worker every now and then. Too much at once, can be overwhelming, it is fairy steps, not great leaps forward. I still use my training, now knowing the notes by heart, and still go wrong, often, and benefit from a push back in the right direction.

My CBT was for depression and anxiety, but that is what a lot of us have, and as I am undiagnosed, it was not aimed at problems related to asd. That does not mean that it is of no value. I have found that  life changing, eventually.

Parents
  • As a therapist myself in CBT for Childhood Autism, I have found that over th eyears the only way to effectively use CBT is not through 1:1 with a professional but with the primary caregiver.

    There is one thing that many professional miss out on when approaching and ASD child with CBT. What they should be doing, and this is what I do, is I train the parent on a 1:1 to teach the child themselves.

    ASD children have a strong bond with a primary caregiver (either mum or dad for example) and thus, this is the only person who will be able to teach the child any skill that they need. The idea that only professionals can effectively 'teach' actually doesn't work with ASD children. This is why, in most cases, the effect is only temporary.

    Like any of these alternative methods, the key is consistency. Many clients are wrongly told that all you have to do is do the exercises for a short while and you will be 'cured.' This is wrong and completely misguided. To effectively use CBT, it has to be regular and consistent for it to be effective. 

    It is an ongoing method with no end. Once the child is old enough to manage their own barriers, they can continue the work themselves but it is life long. What angers me is professionals in my field who are quick to take the money from the client (privately) and expect that client to be an 'ongoing' income. 

    CBT is useful but as you know, not a cure. The problem is, is that CBT has never been used correctly for Autism, and for that to happen, it has to be modified.

  • I've just found your post and what you're saying makes complete sense! My 26 year old autistic son had CBT for his OCD and worked for a little bit whilst he was on the course. I found though that because I wasn't allowed to stop with him whilst he was having his treatment, I couldn't help him at home.

    Since then I've been trying to find someone who does CBT specifically for autism, but to no avail! not only that, there is an unmet need in our area for adults with autism.

    And now with this lockdown and all this change, his OCD has now got even worse!

    Is there any good online resources or help I can access or just to be pointed in the right direction?

    Thanks in advance

  • Hi ,

    You may like to have a look at the information on OCD and autism from the NAS website:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/about/health/mental-health.aspx

    https://www.ocdaction.org.uk

    I hope this is useful!

    ChloeMod:)

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