| There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what | | | | situations. As a result, they remain tied to using |
| autism and autism spectrum disorders actually are. | | | | solutions they already know, and have limited |
| It's understandable, because persons on the | | | | ability to deal with new or changing situations. |
| autism spectrum can be so individually different. | | | | Decision-making and judgment abilites that most |
| Some cannot talk. Some talk early. Some are | | | | of us take for granted, such deciding which way |
| highly intelligent, others have some degree of | | | | to go to the store today, interpreting and |
| mental retardation. Some have extreme sensory | | | | understanding the actions of other people, or |
| issues and some don't. Some have motor planning | | | | even figuring out how near or far to walk next to |
| problems, and some are very athletic. And the list | | | | someone often cause confusion and fear in a |
| goes on. So with all of these differences between | | | | person with an autism spectrum disorder. |
| individuals, what do these people have in | | | | As a result, the world often seems chaotic and |
| common? | | | | scary to individuals on the spectrum, and other |
| Regardless of diagnosis - Asperger's Syndrome, | | | | people seem to act in abrupt and unexpected |
| PDD, PDD-NOS, Autism or any other autism | | | | ways that are just impossible for them to |
| spectrum disorder, what all persons with autism | | | | understand. |
| spectrum disorders seem to have in common is | | | | To try to control some of this chaos and keep |
| their core deficit. | | | | things predictable, autistic individuals tend to rely |
| Autism spectrum disorders arise from a | | | | heavily on formulas and repetitive sequences to |
| neurological condition; a weakened area that | | | | get through their day. |
| seems to be located somewhere along the | | | | These sequences and formulas rely on a different |
| pathway that runs from the prefrontal cortex to | | | | part of the brain that usually functions quite well in |
| the hippocampus of the brain. No one yet knows | | | | persons on the autism spectrum. It's the area of |
| definitively what causes this condition. All individuals | | | | the brain that runs our "red = stop, green = go", |
| on the autism spectrum have this weakened | | | | "2+2=4" type thinking - very formulaic, very |
| pathway, which results in the following core | | | | predictable , and very absolute thought. |
| deficits: | | | | Unfortunately, this area of the brain is unable to |
| Deficits in: comparative thought and interpretation, | | | | compare, interpret, adapt, or see possiblities. |
| flexibility and adaptability to change, creative | | | | Of course when faced with new or changing |
| thought, decision-making, judgment, and memory | | | | situations, when most formulas won't work, |
| of past positive feelings about events. | | | | persons on the spectrum often fall apart, out of |
| In typical individuals, this pathway creates a | | | | fear of the unknown. Most of the tantrums, |
| hierarchy of comparison, and interprets | | | | escape, or aggressive behaviors that we see at |
| everything we see, hear, do and feel. It compares | | | | these times are usually "fight or flight" responses, |
| one thing to another, compares past to present | | | | motivated out of fear, not from being stubborn, |
| situations, compares how we felt before to now, | | | | manipulative or "bad". |
| separates important from the unimportant, and | | | | One of the reasons Relationship Development |
| then uses all of that information to judge | | | | Intervention is effective is because it addresses |
| situations and come up with with unique solutions. | | | | this pathway directly, by using different activities |
| Typical people spend most of the day using this | | | | to exercise and strengthen it, much like what we |
| part of their brain effortlessly, sailing through | | | | do for other persons with weak or damaged brain |
| thousands of little moment-to-moment decisions | | | | pathways, such as persons with stroke or head |
| with ease. But for a person on the autism | | | | injury, etc. |
| spectrum, all of those tiny moment to moment | | | | Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in |
| decisions can be quite difficult and often scary. | | | | your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all |
| Because of the weakened brain pathway, | | | | links in place, do not modify the content, and |
| individuals on the autism spectrum have a limited | | | | include our resource box. |
| ability to compare, interpret and solve new | | | | |