(soft music) - Hey everyone, today
we're gonna talk about high functioning autism. What is it and how does it differ from other parts of the autism spectrum? But before we jump into that, are you new to my channel? Welcome! Make sure you are subscribed and have those notifications turned on because I put out videos
on Mondays and Thursdays and I don't want you to miss out. But let's jump in to today's topic. First, I think it's important to know that high functioning autism
isn't an actual diagnosis. It's not in the DSM, nor is it an official medical term. But people use this term casually when they're talking about
someone on the spectrum who can speak, write and handle basic life tasks and they're often able
to live on their own. People who fall into this
portion of the spectrum often live lives just like anyone else. They're even said to be
higher functioning cognitively than others who are on the spectrum. But I also want you all to know that I am not a specialist, nor do I pretend to have all the answers when it comes to autism
spectrum disorders as a whole. What I did was, I reached out
to some colleagues of mine who graciously shared their tips and their own expertise and I also read many, many
studies and parenting blogs. So gives me kind of an overall idea of how people talk about it, how they treat it, and what we need to know. What I found out is that since the 1990s medical and mental health professionals have been recognizing
milder forms of autism. Prior to this only the most severe cases were diagnosed and treated. So this is when Asperger's
became a more well known diagnosis as a whole. People realized that there
was a spectrum to autism and that's why in 2013 they grouped all these diagnosis into one, calling them all autism
spectrum disorders. You may still hear people
using outdated terms like Asperger but that's most likely because they either haven't kept up with the many changes to treatment or they're referring to someone who was diagnosed prior to 2013. Now, let's jump into the symptoms of high functioning autism. Just like anyone on the autism spectrum, high functioning people can still struggle with communication, making eye contact, and socially interacting overall. Since interacting with
others can be so difficult, those who are high
functioning often report feeling really anxious
prior to a social gathering, and being wiped out afterwards because it just takes so much energy to engage with others. There's a large difference between women and men when it comes
to presented symptoms, but don't worry that information will be saved for another video. They find that anxiety,
OCD, bipolar disorder and depression are the
most common comorbidities with high functioning autism. What comorbidities means
is that they happen together at the same time. Research also shows that OCD and high functioning autism
commonly occur together, because they are both
affected by abnormalities in a person's serotonin production. Pretty interesting, right? Based on that information, we can conclude that all comorbidities can be caused and affected
by serotonin changes. I also believe that because people with high functioning
autism are more aware of their differences from others, they could feel really anxious about interacting with people or even extremely depressed about their struggle to connect. Sometimes having insight and awareness into our own conditions can really be hard to handle and it could lead to other
mental health issues. People with high
functioning autism may also struggle to understand jokes or sarcasm from their peers. Therefore, they can appear
more mature for their age but they're really just uncomfortable in social situations as a whole and don't really
understand what's going on. They can even have delayed initial speech but later develop
functional communication. They can also have obsessive actions regarding appearance, cleanliness, fears and social situations and also shortened attention spans. Most high functioning people with ASD will still find comfort
in routine and order. Their rituals or restricted habits may seem odd to those around them but having it can help them better manage any anxious feelings or sensory overload that
they may be experiencing. Therefore, they're prone to tantrums, or meltdowns when they're overly tired or stimulated or they can't
go through their routine. We still don't know the actual cause of autism spectrum disorders but research shows that those with ASD do have abnormalities in the
social regions of the brain. These regions include
things like the amygdala. If you remember Alexa
and I talked about this, she called it the fire alarm. It's really responsible, just so you know, for emotions, survival and memory, but they also find there's abnormalities in the orbital frontal cortex, which is responsible
for cognitive processing and decision making. These two areas would
explain why those with ASD struggle so much socially and can be easily overwhelmed and have a hard time
regulating their emotions. If our amygdala is like
firing all the time, it can be really hard for us to calm down, to soothe ourselves. I mean, just think about it for a second. But luckily there is
so much that we can do to better manage our ASD and so let's get into
some treatment options because I think it's important that we talk about and understand that ASD isn't
something people grow out of, nor is it something
that needs to be cured. High functioning people struggle the most to get the care that they need because many who don't really understand that there is an entire
spectrum associated with autism disorders, they say things like,
well your child or you, don't really look autistic or you know, like you
have any special needs. It can make it even more difficult for people to get the care that they need, especially when proper care can allow you or you child to get the tools and strategies needed to succeed. Finding ways to make our unique view of the world work for
us instead of against us can be so helpful and empowering. One of the first options for treatment is occupational therapy. An occupational therapist is there to help develop skills,
such as handwriting or fine motor skills and
activities of daily living. Talked about this in other videos were they kind of meet us where we're at and help us better manage all things we have to do each and everyday. The second time of therapy
they talk a lot about is speech therapy. Now a speech therapist can help your child or yourself learn spoken language and or non-verbal communication skills because we know it can be really difficult as someone on the spectrum to fully understand different unsaid signals people are sending out. So it's really important
that we work with someone who can help us better
understand and manage. The next treatment option is ABA therapy or applied behavior analysis. Now this focuses on techniques that help guide learning and bring out meaningful and
positive change in behavior. So it's very behavior focused. Some people feel this type of
therapy is like too intense, and it can be traumatizing to children because we're forcing them to be normal instead of celebrating
their cognitive differences, but it is a highly research
based form of therapy. Especially for those on the spectrum, it's been shown to work miracles for them, so don't completely rule it out until you fully understand how it works, and see if it's a right
choice for you or your child. The next treatment option is social skill classes. Now, social skill classes
offer an opportunity for kids with autism to
practice social skills with each other on a regular basis. So all that stuff they
might be learning in therapy or trying to do at home, this gives them an actual guided place to practice it all. So that they can see what works and what doesn't and
help them go from there. The next option is psychotherapy, which is essentially what I do. Psychotherapy uses a variety
of techniques as you know, to help children who experience anxiety, depression, OCD or other
psychiatric systems that can cause problems
for the autistic child. So a lot of those comorbid issues I talked about before can be addressed in therapy with a licensed
mental health professional. This could also include
seeing a psychiatrist if medication is something
that can benefit you or your child. The next treatment option
is floortime therapy. Floortime activities derive from the idea that we as parents can help our children by meeting them at their level to expand their circles of communication so we're kind of meeting
them were they're at. Playing the way that they want to play and they find that floortime
can be really beneficial. The next treatment option, like I said there were so many which is wonderful that we have tons of options to choose from, but this next one is called RDI
therapy, and that stands for relationship development
intervention therapy. It's a family based behavioral treatment designed to address autism core symptoms by appreciating all perspectives, coping with change and integrating information from multiple sources
such light and sound. When I was reading about this it's really, really helps us or our child, whoever is one the spectrum, better manage some of the overwhelm that can come along with being in like a really loud restaurant, music going, people talking to us, being at parties, it kind of helps us
better prepare for that and we can practice it in that therapy. The next therapy option is PEC therapy, and that stands for picture
exchange communication. This is used with
nonverbal autistic children to help them learn to
communicate without words, so then they can make choices and communicate their needs and overall minimize their behavior so they can be a much happier child. Another treatment option
is aquatic therapy. Using swimming as their
therapy can increase effectiveness of all
other forms of treatment by learning better balance, communication skills,
dealing with sensory issues and oral motor skills. Some people also report
that equine therapy is a great option for ASD children. It helps them focus, transition
easier from task to task and socialize more easily. Overall just know that there are many, many treatment options available, so finding the one that's best for you or your child is what is most important. We know that while some treatments have more research backing them, if it's not working it's
okay to try something else. As with any diagnosis everyone
is gonna be different. Some people with high functioning autism can hold jobs and have
healthy relationships, while others just cannot. Some may do well in school while others will struggle. So before jumping to any conclusions, make sure you listen and understand what the experience is like for that individual person. This video has been brought to you by the Kinions on Patreon. If you would like to support the creation of these mental health videos click the link, the description and check it out. As always, leave your thoughts and or experiences in
the comments down below because with my expertise and your experience we will keep working towards a healthy mind and a healthy body. I will see you next time, bye.
