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Graded exposure therapy for autistic people with anxieties/phobias

JeniT

Hi,

My youngest, who has ASD, has a number of anxieties and phobias including with spiders and insects, but also more generally social anxiety.

I've been looking at graded exposure therapy to help them with these anxieties (specifically oVRcome, which is a virtual reality based app that's supposed to work well), but I'm not sure whether there are particular adaptations to this approach that would need to be made for someone with ASD.

Has anyone had experience with graded exposure therapy for anxiety / phobias? Have they worked for you and do you have any tips or tricks about how to approach them?

Any thoughts appreciated,

Jeni

  • Gradual exposure doesn't work for an autistic brain like it will for a NeuroTypical one. Autistic-wiring is not a design that creates the same kind of filtering or defence mechanisms. This IS what Autism is about and understanding of our strengths have been understood for over 100 years when first discovered. Numerous psychoanalysts have commented on it in the last century. 

    This kind of 'therapy' is akin to subjecting a prisoner to sensory torture. It has the effect of wearing down the participant until they become a zombie. 

    There are several new neurological studies out which confirm suspicions from the last 100 years. That the Autistic brain has these very 'clean' connectors sending signals to the brain and it naturally has more Gamma Waves - the kind which light up the whole brain, which are a desired state of eureka / high focus / making high speed connexions to all parts of the brain. It is the state of being for Excitement and Causes Anxiety if in motion for too long. 

    The job of parents is simply to find ways to shield our hyper-focused/hyper-connected minds like we would a greenhouse for a variety of outdoor younglings. Help them grow their talents and learn to note when to use ear defenders or sunglasses. Advocate against chemically designed scents. Autistics are wired to sense danger. They are also capable of sensing the natural world around. They can make incredible electricians, cooks, audiologists. 

    Dulling ones senses isn't exactly useful other than for keeping a collective together. This article is a good one for explaining our role in a social group autcollab.org/.../

    The best way to help him learn about insects is to start with one he might like. Garden together. Allow him slow integration with gloves. Don't force him to interact with something he's frightened of, the world will be forceful one day enough. Just be someone he can find shelter with. And maybe get him a cat to ferociously hunt and protect him from any unwanted creatures.