"There may be apprehensions about whether positive psychology interventions can be effectively tailored to meet the unique and varied needs of all autistic individuals, considering our diverse sensory sensitivities, communication methods, and personal preferences." - Hari Srinivasan
Showing posts with label Mental Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mental Health. Show all posts
My Ted X talk titled "Pebbles in the Pond of Change
Hari Srinivasan, shares a powerful message about the power of small actions in creating ever-widening ripples in the pond of change. Drawing from personal experiences and the legacy of disability rights leaders, he redefines progress as a journey that starts with simple, accessible steps. His inspiring message encourages everyone to identify and act on their own "small pebbles" to drive societal transformation.
Exclusion of those with more complex needs
"Key concerns.... oversimplification of needs and the potential exclusion of those with more complex challenges when focusing solely on strengths and well-being. This approach risks neglecting the intricate support required by many on the spectrum. " - Hari Srinivasan
My TedX Talk
My Ted X talk titled "Pebbles in the Pond of Change
Hari Srinivasan, shares a powerful message about the power of small actions in creating ever-widening ripples in the pond of change. Drawing from personal experiences and the legacy of disability rights leaders, he redefines progress as a journey that starts with simple, accessible steps. His inspiring message encourages everyone to identify and act on their own "small pebbles" to drive societal transformation.
High Cost of Positive Psychology Services is a Barrier.
"Integrating Autism and the Positive Psychology fields faces significant barriers, starting with the high cost of therapy, which automatically makes it inaccessible to a large portion of autistics and their families. Being autistic already comes with a big financial cost." - Hari Srinivasan
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2024.38246.pw
Challenges-Based Solutions
"For some autistics, we can step right into the application of positive psychology. For others, we need to be working on challenge-based solutions at the same time. It’s not a binary, either/or situation where you do one at the expense of the other. " - Hari Srinivasan
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2024.38246.pw
Thriving and Flourishing.
“Positive psychology in the context of autism… is people with autism thriving and flourishing, and moving beyond surviving." - Hari Srinivasan
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2024.38246.pw
Misunderstanding that autistics with higher support needs do not experience mental health issues.
"Accessibility and inclusivity of positive psychology interventions is limited across the spectrum, particularly for the most marginalized members… A critical misunderstanding that exemplifies these issues is the misconception that autistics with higher support needs do not experience mental health issues. This not only excludes a significant portion of the autistic population from mental health initiatives but also from the benefits that positive psychology can offer, highlighting the urgent need for more inclusive and accessible practices in this field." - Hari Srinivasan
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2024.38246.pw
Stress Anxiety and Autism
Stress and anxiety are often used interchangeably, but from a scientific perspective, they are distinct concepts that involve different physiological and psychological processes.
What is Stress?
Stress is the body’s response to any demand or challenge, which can be physical, emotional, or psychological. It’s a natural reaction to specific stressors like an upcoming exam, a work deadline, or even a physical threat.Types of Stress:
- Acute Stress: This is a short-term response to an immediate threat or challenge, often referred to as the "fight or flight" response. During acute stress, the body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol to prepare for action.
- Chronic Stress: This occurs when stressors persist over a longer period, leading to a prolonged stress response. Chronic stress can negatively impact physical and mental health, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, depression, and anxiety disorders.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety, on the other hand, is a psychological state characterized by feelings of worry, nervousness, or fear that are typically disproportionate to the actual threat or challenge. Unlike stress, which is a response to an external stressor, anxiety often persists without a clear or immediate cause.Types of Anxiety:
- Situational Anxiety: This is a normal response to a stressful situation, such as public speaking or taking a test.
- Anxiety Disorders: These are mental health conditions where anxiety is excessive, persistent, and interferes with daily life. Examples include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias.
Key Differences Between Stress and Anxiety
- Trigger: Stress is typically a response to a real, identifiable stressor, while anxiety may not have a clear trigger and is often more generalized.
- Duration: Stress can be acute or chronic, depending on the presence of the stressor. Anxiety tends to be more persistent and can exist even in the absence of stressors.
- Physiological Response: Both stress and anxiety can activate similar physiological responses, but anxiety often includes a more significant cognitive component focused on worry and fear about potential future events.
- Adaptiveness: Stress can be adaptive and helpful in certain situations by preparing the body to handle a challenge. In contrast, anxiety, especially when excessive or disproportionate, can be maladaptive and debilitating.
The Intersection of Stress, Anxiety, and Autism
For autistics, the experience of stress and anxiety can be more pronounced and complex. Autistics often face unique stressors, such as sensory overload, social challenges, and difficulties in communication. These stressors can contribute to both acute and chronic stress. Additionally, anxiety is highly prevalent among autistic people, with studies suggesting that up to 40% of autistics may also have an anxiety disorder.
Why Are Autistic Individuals More Vulnerable to Stress and Anxiety?
- Sensory Sensitivities: Many autistic individuals have heightened sensory sensitivities, which can make everyday environments overwhelming. This constant bombardment of sensory input can lead to chronic stress and anxiety.
- Social Challenges: Navigating social interactions can be particularly stressful for autistic individuals. Misunderstandings, the pressure to conform to social norms, and difficulties in interpreting social cues can all contribute to anxiety.
- Routine and Predictability: Autistic individuals often prefer routine and predictability. Sudden changes or disruptions to their routine can cause significant stress and anxiety, as they may struggle to adapt to new situations or cope with uncertainty.
- Communication Difficulties: Many autistic people experience challenges with communication, which can lead to frustration and misunderstandings, further exacerbating stress and anxiety levels.
How Your Posture Can Influence Your Emotions - Tips for Autistics
How Your Posture Can Influence Your Emotions - Tips for Autistics
Did you know that the way you sit or stand can impact how you feel? Research by Peper and Lin (2012) has shown that adopting certain body positions can significantly influence your emotional state. For example, sitting upright can boost your mood and energy levels, while slouching can make you feel more down or even depressed.Why This Matters for Autistics
For many autistics, understanding and managing emotions can be a unique challenge. However, becoming aware of how body posture affects feelings can be a simple yet effective tool for emotional regulation.
Here’s how posture can help:
- Boost Mood: Standing or sitting up straight can naturally elevate your mood and increase your energy levels.
- Manage Emotions: When feeling anxious or low, adjusting your posture to a more upright position can help improve your emotional state.
- Easy to Implement: This strategy doesn’t require any special equipment or training. Just being mindful of your posture can make a difference!
Quick Tips to Try:
- Check Your Posture: Throughout the day, notice if you’re slouching. Straighten up to see if it changes how you feel.
- Practice Mindfulness: Engage in activities like stretching or gentle yoga to improve body awareness and posture.
- Encourage Awareness: Have people around you check in on you and perhaps gently remind you about posture as a tool for emotional management.
Peper, E., & Lin, I. (2012). Increase or decrease depression: How body postures influence your energy level. Biofeedback, 40(3), 125-130.- They found that an upright posture can promote a more positive mood and energy levels, while a slumped posture can lead to increased feelings of depression.
Hostile Attribution Bias
Autism Lexicon: Hostile Attribution Bias
Hostile attribution bias is a cognitive tendency to interpret ambiguous behaviors of others as having hostile intent or leading to hostile outcomes. In autism, this bias is linked to social communication challenges and a heightened sensitivity to perceived social threats.
PlainSpeak: Hostile attribution bias is when someone thinks others are being mean on purpose, even if it's not clear. In autism, this happens more often because autistic people can struggle with understanding social cues and might feel more easily threatened.
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Read more on Hostile Attribution Bias: [Version for Scientific/Academic Audience], [PlainSpeak for the Lay Reader], [A Simple Definition]
Related Posts on [Neuroception], [Negative Attribution Bias]
Fractured Certainty
My mind’s like the uncertainty principle,
Thoughts race, no path is clear.
Anxiety spikes, I lose control,
In a world where nothing’s ever near.
Anxiety spikes, I lose control,
In a world where nothing’s ever near.
The Cost of Ableism - A Higher Bar to Meet and Negative Attribution Bias.
Ableism isn't just about overt discrimination; it also involves the pervasive expectations and pressures that can lead to negative attribution biases and the need to meet a higher bar for inclusion.
The High Bar for Inclusion
Ableism manifests as an expectation for individuals with disabilities, to meet a higher bar for inclusion. This form of ableism places undue pressure on autistic individuals to conform to standards and norms typically designed without considering their unique needs and strengths.
Ableism manifests as an expectation for individuals with disabilities, to meet a higher bar for inclusion. This form of ableism places undue pressure on autistic individuals to conform to standards and norms typically designed without considering their unique needs and strengths.
Unreasonable Expectations. Autistics are often expected to conform to neurotypical social behaviors and communication styles to be accepted in social, educational, or professional settings. This higher bar for inclusion is exhausting and unrealistic, disregarding the natural ways in which autistic individuals interact and express themselves.
Proving Competence. There is often an implicit or explicit requirement for autistics to constantly prove their abilities and competence beyond what is expected of their NT peers. So its not about having to prove yourself one time, its proving competence in every repeated interaction and with every new person and with every new situation.This can stem from prejudiced assumptions about their capabilities, leading to significant stress and anxiety.
Extra Effort for Accommodation: The burden of seeking and arranging accommodations frequently falls on autistic individuals. They may need to expend significant effort to advocate for themselves, explain their needs repeatedly, and navigate systems not designed to accommodate them easily. Accommodations for autism can vary depending on the autistic and there is no standard list of checkbox to tick off and say job done.
Perceived Advantage of Accommodations. Accommodations are often seen as giving autistic individuals an "advantage," which perversely leads to higher performance expectations. This perception overlooks the purpose of accommodations, which is to level the playing field, not to provide an edge. As a result, autistics may feel compelled that they have to over-perform to justify the accommodations they receive (which leads to burnout) or conversely may not be able to meet that higher bar.
Gratefulness for Accommodations. Accommodations are often treated as favors being granted, leading to the expectation that autistic individuals should feel grateful for this largesse. This can create an imbalance in power dynamics, where the need for accommodations is seen as a privilege rather than a right, adding another layer of pressure on autistic individuals.
Higher Performance Standards In professional or academic settings, autistic individuals might be held to higher performance standards to counteract biases and demonstrate their worthiness for inclusion or advancement. This can lead to burnout and mental health issues, as they strive to meet expectations not equally applied to their neurotypical counterparts.
Social Acceptance Conditions. Inclusion in social groups might come with conditions that require autistic individuals to mask their natural behaviors or suppress their autistic traits, which is mentally and emotionally taxing. This masking forces individuals to hide their authentic selves to gain acceptance, rather than being embraced for who they truly are.
Normalization Pressure. The pressure to appear "normal" or "less autistic" and "not stim" is a significant barrier to genuine inclusion. This expectation forces individuals to suppress their identity to fit into a predefined mold, leading to stress and reduced self-esteem.
Negative Attribution Bias
Living in an ableist-centered world significantly influences the development of negative attribution biases among autistics.
Frequent Experiences of Discrimination. Continuous exposure to ableism, where autistics face discrimination, exclusion, and negative stereotypes, leads to a general expectation of negative treatment from others. This constant barrage of negative experiences can result in heightened sensitivity to potential negative actions and intentions, fostering a negative attribution bias.
Social Marginalization. Being marginalized and misunderstood in social contexts can erode trust in others. When autistics repeatedly encounter negative, dismissive or hostile attitudes, they might start to interpret ambiguous social cues more negatively as a self-protective mechanism. This social marginalization reinforces the cycle of negative attribution.
Internalized Ableism. Constant exposure to societal ableism can lead to internalized ableism, where autistics begin to believe negative stereotypes about themselves. This internalized negativity colors their perceptions of others' behaviors, leading to a pervasive negative attribution bias.
Lack of Positive Social Interactions. Positive social interactions can counteract negative attribution biases by providing evidence of goodwill and understanding. However, if autistics have limited positive social experiences (or a history that is predominately negative) due to societal ableism, they are more prone to expecting and perceiving negative intentions in others, reinforcing their negative biases.
Stress and Anxiety. Living in an ableist society is inherently stressful and anxiety-inducing for individuals with autism. High levels of stress and anxiety impair social cognition, making it more challenging to interpret social cues accurately and leading to more negative attributions.
To combat these forms of ableism, a shift in societal attitudes and practices toward a more inclusive and equitable approach is necessary. This involves recognizing and valuing disability, creating environments that are inherently accommodating, and reducing the emphasis on conformity to neurotypical standards. Promoting awareness and understanding of ableism in all its forms is crucial in fostering true inclusion for individuals with autism and other disabilities.
Genuine inclusion means ensuring that everyone has the support they need to thrive.
Genuine inclusion means ensuring that everyone has the support they need to thrive.
Related Posts [Hostile Attribution Bias] [Neuroception]
Endless Strain
Grad school trials and endless strain,
Disability threads through each day,
I wait and wait to see what they want of me
Uncertain Fate
Will I be allowed to strive and thrive
Or always be left just barely alive?
Staying afloat, with hope so thin,
Struggling each day, just to survive within.
Staying afloat, with hope so thin,
Struggling each day, just to survive within.
Overwhelmed
I feel overwhelmed today
Waves of doubt come crashing in.
Waiting on undefined academic expectations, I'm supposed to meet
Disability adds weight to my limbs,
And anxiety skyrockets within.
Waves of doubt come crashing in.
Waiting on undefined academic expectations, I'm supposed to meet
Disability adds weight to my limbs,
And anxiety skyrockets within.
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