On Friday, November 4, Dr. Jed Baker will lead a daylong conference that touches on two very important topics for families and caregivers: managing frustration and anxiety and teaching social skills. Dr. Baker graciously shared some insights and previewed his talk in a Q&A recently.
Why is it important for caregivers to think about managing their frustration and anxiety levels when interacting or working with their child or student?
We fight fire with water. To respond intelligently and with understanding to a challenging situation requires us to manage our own emotions as caregivers. Our own reactivity can hijack our better judgment and escalate the problem rather than resolve the issue.
Everyone experiences anxiety and frustration. How does the experience differ for those on the autism spectrum?
Social perception, sensory, language, and learning issues can make many situations more confusing, unexpected, and frustrating to those with autism. Difficulty transcending the moment can make a temporary problem, like not getting to play a videogame, seem like a life-threatening crisis.
You provide concrete strategies that address anxiety and frustration in caregivers and children with autism spectrum disorder. Can you provide a preview of one example?
Preventing frustration depends on understanding how an individual perceives a difficult situation. For example, not getting to do a desired activity can seem like an unbearable issue. Providing a timer or visual schedule can help an individual know he will get what he wants, allowing him to wait more calmly.
As another example, anxiety about confusing classwork can make kids feel ashamed and afraid to try. Learning how to undo the shame of asking for help and disentangling it from judgments about intelligence can free students to more calmly approach challenging work in an effort to grow.
The conference also addresses social skills, including skill acquisition and motivation to use social skills. Whatās the difference?
Acquisition strategies refer to ways to teach skills. We need to pick strategies that match an individual’s language ability. Teaching a skill does not ensure the individual wants to learn or use the skill. Motivation refers to āwhat’s in it for the individualā to learn and use the skill. Sometimes we use external rewards like favored activities or objects as rewards for using a social skill. Yet more importantly for motivating socializing are natural rewards like wanting a friend or making the interaction so much fun the individual wants to interact.
The social skills portion of the day also spends time focusing on peer interactions, creating acceptance,Ā and reducing bullying. Why are these three things so important?
Socializing is a two-way street. We cannot try just to get those with ASD to fit in but also to get others to reach out. And all students have a right to a safe and accepting environment. One key to anti-bullying is to empower the peer community to police itself with upstanding peers.
Want to learn more? Join us on November 4 in Raleigh. To learn more about the conference and register, click here. The ASNC Bookstore will also be at the event with Dr. Bakerās numerous books. Register soon; the early bird price is valid through midnight October 16.
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