With youths on the autism spectrum, a challenge they all share is their autism communication. More interest, research and treatment is being focused on the youth on the autism spectrum. Whether a youth is silent and doesn’t function in school, or is a high achiever and a straight-A student in school, being on the autism spectrum gives them something in common. It’s their challenge with autism communication. In either diagnosing a youth on the spectrum, assessing, or treating a youth, the issue of how they relate to the world is an important characteristic which needs to be addressed.
For youths on the spectrum to function, to be part of the mainstream, they need to be able to communicate. Because autism communication is a symptom that is used to diagnose someone on the spectrum. It affects their functioning and ability to communicate with others.
What are the difficulties they experience?
Youths experiencing autism communication have deficits in social interaction. Here are three examples:
1. They can’t be involved in the give and take of conversation. When you meet a person on the street or in a store, you greet them and start up a chat about a topic. Fashion. Sports. Gossip. It lasts for a few minutes or so, maybe longer, and then finishes. But for the youth on the spectrum, the thought of conversation is foreign to them. Their inner world is more important to them. They may greet you, but don’t follow through with questions or statements. They need prodding, prompting to talk to. In some cases, with youths who are more non-verbal, this interaction doesn’t even occur. But they don’t have the skills to engage in talk, like a ping pong game where only one person hits the ball.
2. Their non-verbal behavior doesn’t match that of others. Being in their own internal world of pictures, words, and ideas, they don’t pay attention to how others respond. They may have the “autism stare” where they look through you but not at you. They might make facial squints, twitches, or other movements which are comfortable to them but seem out of place to conversation. If most people were to do that, you would think they were rude. But for the youth on the spectrum, don’t know that what they’re doing is not socially acceptable.
3. They have difficulty in developing relationships. There is more of a need to talk about themselves. They don’t have a connection to others. It’s not a matter of being selfish, just that they can’t know that other people may have different views than they do. If they ask questions or talk about a subject, it’s their subject.
How to teach families to improve the spectrum youth’s ability to reduce autism communication?
It takes a lot of structured time and effort. And it starts with the eyes. Remind youth to look at you (or close to your eyes). Ask them questions about themselves. Get them out of their cocoon. And role-play with them certain tasks you want them to do. Order at a restaurant. Play a game. Talk on the phone. Practice will help them develop the skills and positive reinforcement also helps. And if the youth is not verbal, help them with electronic devices to be their voice.
Praxes offers training on Interventions for Youths on the Autism Spectrum. For more information about our training courses, please contact us.
Got questions? We've got answers.
PRAXES is a nationwide behavioral health software, consulting, and training company. No one in the behavioral health industry has a better reputation, and if you give us the chance, we’ll show you why! At PRAXES, our services improve the efficiency and structure of behavioral health agencies serving children and families nationwide. PRAXES brings over 45 years of administrative and clinical expertise. With more than 100 client companies nationwide, we offer the expertise to advance the quality of behavioral health services. We accomplish these goals through our new clinical decision software, our training of best practices, and helping companies meet regulatory standards. At PRAXES, we believe in being creative and fostering new ways to serve children and their families. Our vision is to empower the families our agencies serve with skills that not only improve their functioning, but help them to thrive in their everyday lives. When you give us the chance, you’ll be connected directly to our friendly staff, so you can expect immediate attention to your inquiry. So, don’t wait, call now!
Dan Thorne has unique perspectives on the field of mental health. As a clinician, he has had over 40 years of experience working with clients in the Southern California area. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine, he worked with children in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. Here he honed his earliest techniques on at-risk children. After that, he obtained his Master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton.
In the 1990’s, Dan turned his attention to the clinical and administrative side of behavioral health organizations. For three years, he was the Assistant Administrator of Starting Point, a chemical dependency facility in Costa Mesa, CA. In 2001, he took an opportunity to be the Director of Harbor View Community Services Center in Long Beach. When he arrived, the Center had only 80 clients and 13 staff. When he left, there were over 400 clients and 75 staff. Dan created several programs through their contract with the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. Under his guidance, Harbor View became one of the leading providers of children’s services in Los Angeles County.
While improving the results of the client’s parents at the Center, Dan reflected on his experiences as a parent. His children themselves had special needs such as mental and intellectual challenges, and Dan knew the toll it takes on the parent. In order to help the child, the parent has to be healthy. From this concept, he created his parenting program. After years of refining it, teaching it to his staff at the Center, and then taking the results and comments from these efforts, he became the developer of the current PRAXES program. It is a culmination of Dan’s personal trials and tribulations as a parent along with empirical results and research of over 40 parenting programs.
Our vision at PRAXES is to advance the strength of parents and caregivers of children with special needs (mental health, intellectual, or physical) through education, support, and empowerment. Thus, they can live healthy and functional lives while caring for the child.
Apogee is a clinical decision software designed to help behavioral health practitioners with their treatment and patient engagement. It provides evidence-based and research-based components. Not only do they consist of elements from such practices as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Functional Behavior Analysis, but also the Intensive Models for Parents, Youth, and Children.
PRAXES has over 30 years of accreditation experience. We know what it takes to get your organization accredited. Whether it’s Joint Commission, CARF, or COA, our team can provide an evaluation of your current status and review the standards which need improvements. We will assist you with the policies, documentation, and training required to be accredited.
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