I like to read research studies and watch webinars about many things, including ASD. I have found many great ones by those with ASD as well as by those who treat ASD. I am always amazed though at how some very reputable healthcare professionals who treat ASD have some things all wrong.
A common misunderstanding I hear a lot about is how anxiety, irrational fears, or a thought distortion is the cause of (or avoidance of) a behavior or reaction when in reality the cause is a matter of ASD logic and safety.
In this blog I try to help you understand the difference between anxiety and self preservation when it comes to sensory processing dysfunction- a common occurrence in those with autism.
Hypothetical scenario 1
let’s say I avoid going outside until noon because in the AM there are lawn care workers throughout my street using mowers and leaf blowers. They break for lunch at noon. One AM you ask me to go outside to water the plants, and I refuse because of the leaf blowers.
Question: Is my fear irrational and am I exhibiting a sign of anxiety by refusing to leave the house until noon?
Probable answer: Many would say yes, it is irrational and anxiety driven, especially if I was unable to articulate why I was refusing to go outside. This answer however is incorrect.
I go deeper into this after scenario 2 so keep reading…
Scenario 2
We are in the kitchen baking cookies which are now on a pan and in the oven that is set to 475 degrees. When the timer goes off I ask you to get the cookies out of the oven with your bare hands. You refuse because you fear getting burned, like so many times before when we cook together.
Question: Are you exhibiting anxiety and is your refusal to pick up a hot pan irrational fear?
Probable Answer: No. Most would say that refusing to take a hot pan out of the oven is not anxiety driven nor irrational bc doing so would cause physical harm and pain. Touching hot pans are dangerous and can lead to serious burns.
Now let’s add to the scenario: I tell you you can use a pot holder (you have never used one before) to pick up the hot pan. You are anxious at first to use it bc it’s something new and bc in the past you were burned when getting a hot pan out of the oven. I explain and show you how the potholder works and with practice and exposure you eventually use the potholder successfully whenever we bake. cookies.
Digging deeper…When you first try the pot holder you would likely feel anxious in anticipation of burning yourself but that anxiety lessens as you successfully pick up the pan without burning your hands. The anxiety came present when you were asked to do something different…it becomes a fear of the unknown- that is anxiety but the actual avoidance of picking up a hot pan with your bare hands is not anxiety based.
Take notice…In the scenario I also took the time to not only show you how to use the potholder but to also explain how the potholder works and why it’s important to use it.
Back to scenario 1 and how leaf blowers are like hot pans…
A little more info to consider… When I encounter leaf blowers my brain shuts down, I am unable talk or think, and I feel excruciating pain throughout my body.
Here is what it’s like when I encounter leaf blowers (below is an entry from my journal)
“…the stupid leaf blower outside feels like an earthquake and sounds like a bomb. I can feel the vibrations of the choppy sound it makes and it hurts. It is painful and I cannot think. I clench my eyes shut and cover my ears. I have to wait for it to finish. I remove my hands…but the noise continues. I try to bear it but it becomes too much. I re cover my ears, close my eyes, hold my breath, make a continuous noise that sounds like a moaning dog, and curl up in a ball with my head pressed on the ground. I am paralyzed”
Now that you read what leaf blowers are like for me it’s time to Introduce my “potholder-“ You bring me noise cancellation headphones and show me how to use them. You also explain why they may be helpful and how they work. I would feel anxious at first…it is something different, the outcome is unknown plus leaf blowers are painful for me. So, I may need practice and repetition but eventually I am able to successfully go outside in the AM with my headphones.
One last consideration..because my sensory system processes information differently I may think it odd and irrational that you refuse to pick up a hot pan. I may not feel the pain or the burn from picking it up because my sensory processing registered that sensation differently than you. Similarly you may think it odd and irrational that I refuse to go outside in the AM. Leaf blowers don’t disorient you or cause pain because your sensory processing registered that noise and vibrations differently then me.
For you picking up a hot pan is dangerous and it hurts . For me, leaf blowers are like hot pans