Gotta love having the same thing happen so often you have no choice but to start recognising the patterns
Red Flags I Always Miss Because I’m Autistic
Autism
Chart of Autistic Traits in Women | How Did I Miss This Late Autism Diagnosis?
Does autism present differently in women than men? Do you have autistic traits you’ve been explaining away since childhood? Why are women underdiagnosed? Learn how autistic women fly under the radar and what some of our “tells” are. We’ll explore appearance, intellect, emotions, learning styles and relationships. We’ll define camouflaging and masking and how this makes it harder to identify where we get stuck.
The risk of school bullying triples in autistic children
A research team from the URV’s Nutrition and Mental Health group has studied the prevalence of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in schoolchildren in the Tarragona region. The research, which also determined how these disorders affect children’s social relationships, collected data on 7,000 pupils, of whom 700 were studied in detail. The results determined that 1.5% of the children had autism, while 5% were diagnosed with ADHD.
In the first part of the study, they screened more than 7,000 children in two age groups, namely pupils in the fourth year of Infant Education and pupils in the fifth year of Primary Education (PE), from a representative sample of the whole province. Employing tests answered by teachers and families, they identified those cases with signs of presenting either of the two disorders. From the screening, a sample of 700 children, including a control group, was selected to evaluate the correct functioning of the methodology.
After conducting interviews with the children and their families and studying all the cases individually, the researchers determined that, of the children in the sample, 1.5% had autism and 5% had ADHD. “We also assessed other children with difficulties but who fell outside the diagnosis because they did not have all the symptoms. If we include them, we can say that 3.5% of children had some symptom of autism”, asserted the researchers.
Another aim of the research was to determine whether and to what extent infants diagnosed with any of these disorders feel socially disadvantaged. The researchers found that 35% of primary school children with ADHD reported experiencing some form of bullying, isolation or social exclusion. “This phenomenon is aggravated in children with combined ADHD, i.e. with all the typical symptoms: attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsivity,” explained Núria Voltas.
The researchers also found that 58% of autistic children, who are characterised by behavioural problems and difficulties in social interaction and communication, felt displaced and excluded.
The research also revealed that in cases with both disorders, i.e. those with comorbid disorders, there was a stronger feeling of social isolation. These results do not refer to autistic children and ADHD in the fourth year of Infant Education as they are not mature enough to answer the tests on their perception of victimisation by bullying.
“Bullying has long-lasting consequences and increases the feeling of fear towards social relationships; having autism or ADHD and feeling victimised increases emotional problems”, says Fina Canals. When these people grow up and enter adolescence and adulthood, they present “very high rates of mental health disorders” and a “high risk of suicide”. For this reason, the authors of the research call for anti-bullying programmes to include specific measures for at-risk groups.
The research also revealed that in cases with both disorders, i.e. those with comorbid disorders, there was a stronger feeling of social isolation. These results do not refer to children with autism and ADHD in the fourth year of Infant Education as they are not mature enough to answer the tests on their perception of victimisation by bullying.
The research also revealed that in cases with both disorders, i.e. those with comorbid disorders, there was a stronger feeling of social isolation. These results do not refer to autistic children and ADHD in the fourth year of Infant Education as they are not mature enough to answer the tests on their perception of victimisation by bullying.
“Bullying has long-lasting consequences and increases the feeling of fear towards social relationships; having autism or ADHD and feeling victimised increases emotional problems”, says Fina Canals. When these people grow up and enter adolescence and adulthood, they present “very high rates of mental health disorders” and a “high risk of suicide”. For this reason, the authors of the research call for anti-bullying programmes to include specific measures for at-risk groups.
The research also revealed that in cases with both disorders, i.e. those with comorbid disorders, there was a stronger feeling of social isolation. These results do not refer to autistic children and ADHD in the fourth year of Infant Education as they are not mature enough to answer the tests on their perception of victimisation by bullying.
First trial of new suicide prevention intervention designed for autistic people
A new suicide prevention intervention developed specifically for autistic adults has been trialled as part of a programme of research to identify ways to reduce suicide and self-harm amongst autistic people.
The trial was carried out by experts at the University of Nottingham’s School of Psychology and Newcastle University. They tested autism-adapted safety plans with a group of autistic people and found that almost two-thirds found them useful.
Dr Sarah Cassidy from the University of Nottingham and Professor Jacqui Rodgers from Newcastle University led the research and have shown in previous studies that autistic people are at a higher risk of self-harm and suicide compared to non-autistic people, but there is a lack of research into what could help reduce this risk.
Dr Cassidy said: “We have consulted with autistic people and those who support them worldwide to identify the most important areas of suicide prevention research to focus on, and one of the top priorities was to develop new personalised suicide prevention interventions with and for autistic people. One of the suggested interventions to focus on was safety plans, as many autistic people reported using these, but recommended that adaptations were needed to make these clearer and easier to use.”
Safety plans are a personal step-by-step plan a person can make to help keep themselves safe. Safety plans typically include a person’s reason for living, activities and people that can help distract from thoughts of self-harm, friends, family and professionals the person can contact for support, emergency contacts during a crisis, and a plan for making the environment safe. Safety plans have been showed to reduce self-harm, suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviours in a range of groups, but never before in autistic people.
In this new research, the team tested a safety plan specifically aimed at autistic people with 49 participants. The autism-adapted safety plans (AASP) have clearer wording, which makes them more accessible to autistic people. Additional sections have been added to the AASP for autistic people to let support workers know how to best communicate with them and support them in a crisis. A resource pack was also developed with guidance to help autistic people and those who support them successfully complete an AASP.
The autism-adapted safety plans (AASP) were tested with autistic adults who completed them with a service provider to further refine the AASP and study processes. They were asked to complete questionnaires before, one, and six months after consenting to the study.
Most (68%) of the autistic adults were satisfied with the AASP, and they said their experience of using the AASP was positive. They also suggested minor changes to some questionnaires to make them clearer.
Dr Cassidy adds: “This research builds on our work to establish a better pathway for mental health support for autistic people that is tailored to their and their family’s specific needs. Working with autistic people to trial a new adapted safety plan has allowed us to gain insight into what they need so this can now be fed into a larger trial to investigate whether AASP reduce self-harm, suicidal thoughts and behaviours in autistic adults.”
Let’s Discover YOUR Autistic Sensory Profile!
A follow-along guide to uncovering your HYPERsensitive or HYPOsensitive senses and how to find the best Autistic STIMs.