Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that shows up in a wide range of challenges, affecting social interaction, communication, and behavior. As individuals with autism navigate daily life, they often encounter unique obstacles that can impact their functioning and interactions with the world around them. It’s crucial to understand that no two individuals on the spectrum are the same. That being said, if you have met one person with Autism, then you have met one person with Autism. This makes it necessary to understand that while interventions may help increase coping skills, communication skills, and completing independent living tasks, the approach that accompanies the intervention must be tailored to the individual. This includes understanding your young adult’s strengths in context to the way they are uniquely built as a person. For example, Bryce and Sam feel anxiety about grocery shopping. Both are unsure how they will navigate getting what they need without feeling overwhelmed and pull out early if not avoid the situation. Interventions that support reducing anxiety may help Bryce and Sam cope better. However, because Bryce is dominantly visual, using a visual support like a list of grocery items that includes pictures of the items needed increases focus, confidence, and the likelihood of Bryce completing his grocery shopping. But because Sam’s strengths more dominantly reflect an auditory style a different approach is required. Sam recording his grocery list and listening to the recording when needed while shopping creates focus and confidence to overcome the challenge. Bryce and Sam’s challenges are addressed with a supportive intervention but tailored to Bryce and Sam individually. Defining the challenge, identifying the context for working the problem, and nailing down how to harness your young adult’s dominant strengths are essential to making meaningful progress occur.

Social Interaction and Communication

Let’s discuss how that works during social interaction and communication. Interactions and use of words, an integral aspect of daily life, looks to an Autistic young adult like a 1000-piece puzzle. The pieces are many and when laid out are different, but each time a piece looks like it fits, when a young adult attempts to match the chosen piece, it doesn’t fit. Attempts are made over time as a genuine desire to connect with peers only to experience awkwardness if the young adult is aware enough to understand the piece doesn’t fit. While many young adults are well-liked by those around them, all too often, the young adult is overlooked, emotionally isolated, and left behind socially for many different reasons and without meaningful connections.

Defining the social and communication challenge that creates the disconnect between the young adult and their peers is the place to start. How is the young adult doing with social norms that include eye contact, interpreting facial expressions and responding, expressing ideas with their words, knowing how and when to introduce their subject of interest, or understanding how their spatial awareness impacts their desire to connect with others? These are a few examples where challenges exist but are also opportunities for teaching, learning, and doing. For instance, Bryce may benefit from a visual representation that allows him to pause during a teaching moment to practise a tangible skill that targets and works the problem in a manner that will serve him well. While the potential for experiential learning exists, paused moments during a coaching session allows for explicit teaching, that breaks down complicated social nuances into smaller parts that may be practised repetitively. Now, a social skill is more realistically learned, practised, and transferred to the social context where the challenge lies, but a new opportunity exists. Remember, each step forward, no matter how small, is a win!

Executive Functioning

Executive functioning skills, which includes planning, organisation, time management and sorting information, can be overwhelming for individuals with autism. These difficulties may impact daily tasks, such as completing assignments, following through with responsibilities, and managing time effectively. The most important aspect of executive functioning skill development is to remember that a parent can have a strategy in mind, but it must be tailored to who that young adult is during the activity. For example, while a young adult  is engaged in his meaningful activity he makes lists, talks audibly about his activity while experiencing it, moves around more during the activity, or typically is manipulating an item with their hands during the activity. What appears to be peculiar are clues to how your young adult acts productively during a relaxed, meaningful activity. These “clues” are opportunities for exploring how your young adult operates in a way that is consistent with who they naturally are as a person. Too often the clues get skipped over as we latch onto a strategy we believe should work only to be perplexed or dismayed when our young adult doesn’t jump on board and do it. Taking the time to remember what you already know about our young adult or taking the time to watch what you haven’t yet noticed is the key to guiding our young adult to a strategy that reflects their executive functioning style that makes learning and doing more possible.

Behavioral Patterns

Behavioral patterns often play a significant role, adding another layer of complexity. You might notice certain behaviors become more visible, especially during times when a young adult experiences sensory overload. For example, loud noise, bright lights, textures, or certain words used by others may overstimulate, leading to self-soothing repetitive behaviors that may be experienced by others as a social annoyance or disruption to productive activity. Identifying what increases and surpasses the stress-coping threshold of your young adult that produces disruptive repetitive behavior is key to determining the right context for your young adult to achieve more adaptively what he intends to do, which fosters a sense of security and enables a smoother flow of daily activities. Specifically, using sensory overload strategies might include carrying sensory items such as noise-canceling headphones, fidgeting, or establishing a quiet, safe retreat to a pre-designated location.

Conclusion

The impact of living with autism on daily life is intricate, complex, and multifaceted. Yet, consider this – around 1 in 54 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than you may think. While it may influence your young adult’s day-to-day activities, remember, you’re not alone. Understanding the dominant strengths of your young adult that naturally occur are essential to overcoming challenges in the long run and making meaningful progress occur to maximize your young adult’s potential. A life coach can walk with you and your young adult to make learning, growing, and navigating life possible.

For those looking to empower young adults with Autism through dedicated coaching and support, explore our Autism Coaching services to learn how we can assist. Click the connect button below to schedule a call with Steve Gundy today.

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