Many people on the Autism Spectrum such as individuals with Aspeger’s and High Functioning Autism often struggle with change. This means when they do certain things, such as follow a routine, follow a schedule, or are expecting something that suddenly a change of plans, they get overwhelmed, frustrated, and experience anxiety as a result. From my personal experience, I have learned some reasons why this happens. There are three reasons why this happens and there three solutions in coping with it.
The first reason is how an Autistic brain is wired to focusing on one specific task or mindset at a time. They often focus on one task and have a strong desire of completing it before starting a new one. This often makes it hard for them to start a new task if they’re not done with the previous task. The reason is because their mind will focus on one part of the brain and not switch to other parts of the brain as easily. This makes it harder for them to see the bigger picture and be immediately open to other ideas. Furthermore, this makes it hard for them to switch gears. They may continue to play on their computer when they know they need to clean their room. If they are upset about something, they may seem to get “stuck” on that emotional experience and seem to have trouble “snapping” out of it. A person can cope and deal with this struggle by learning that it takes more effort to switch a mindset compared to others but they still can push themselves through it. The effort it takes to switch a mindset may seem harder and more painful than it actually is. Once they force themselves to start a task by switching a mindset, they may realize it wasn’t as difficult as they thought it was. It will take effort but the period of time it takes to push themselves over the “hump” is usually quick. Now they are awarded by being able to start the new task in which they know is important, or be out of an emotional state that was making them frustrated. Finally, learning how to do this well will help individuals accept change more.
The second reason why people on the spectrum don’t like change is because they often struggle with short term memory and forgetting things. People with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism often have trouble remembering several things at once. For example, if they are being trained at work, and the supervisor gives them multi-stepped instruction, they may not be able to retain all the information at that sitting without asking the supervisor repeat what they’ve said, or have it written down. It’s easy for them to forget multiple steps, mix up the essential information, and get overwhelmed. When a situation changes, the anxious individual understands that it requires having to learn new things, having to process it, and remember it. It takes more effort in trying not to forget things. In other words, a new routine or deadline makes an individual have to consciously focus on it more than others in order to not forget it. This can be overwhelming when trying to do other stuff the same time, especially when a situation happens unexpectedly. For example, if an individual has an unexpected doctor’s appointment later in the day, that individual will often have to think about it more so then other people in order to not forget the appointment and that can be stressful. A person however can deal and cope with this issue in four different ways. First they can write things down to remember essential information. Secondly, they can plan their life in ways that may not prevent change but minimize the chances of unexpected things from happening. Third, they can understand and try to accept the fact that change is part of life and sometimes a good thing so it is less of a surprise when it does happen. Forth, when unexpected change does happen, they can allow themselves a five minute break a lone to process the new information to minimize being overwhelmed or worse a meltdown!
The third reason why people on the spectrum often struggle with change is because it’s hard for many to follow instructions. The reason why people with Aspeger’s and High Functioning Autism generally have trouble following directions are because of three main reasons. The first reason is because of short term memory struggles already mentioned. Secondly, people with Asperger’s often have a mind that likes wonder. This is often caused by the hyper focused nature of the autism mind and a recently thought of task that often spills over into another task making it hard to focus. Sometimes this is caused by the fact that they also like to day dream and imagine as they are imaginary people, other times it’s something their excited or stressed about. Third, they often have trouble implying information. In other words, getting the meaning out of context clues or “reading in-between the lines.” This causes them to often not understand the implied meaning of even simple information sometimes. The struggle in following directions like with short term memory, makes it overwhelming to the individual when there’s a new situation because it often involves having to learn new things- require them to follow new directions. Some ways to cope with is first, learning techniques in how to follow directions. Learn to ask people to repeat information a difference way and then paraphrase what they said back to them to assure information is interpreted properly. Secondly, have things written down. This is helpful in making sure information is understood well. These solutions will help minimize the stress of change on an even greater level.
People with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism often struggle with change. There are three main reasons. First it’s the nature of the Autistic’s brain in which an individual will focus intensely on one thing at a time but have trouble switching to another thought and seeing the bigger picture. Secondly, an individual may stress change because it requires them to use short term memory and have to remember new things which are a struggle for many. Third, change often requires having to learn new things which mean having to follow directions which are also a struggle for many. These are some of the main reasons I’ve observed but I’m sure there are more. If you notice other reasons please share your knowledge. I believe the more aware of the reasons why people with Asperger’s Struggle, the more we can help them deal with them. This as a result can help the world as a whole. I hope you find this blog helpful!
James Edwin Hackett IV
27 Feb 2016, 8:20 pm
