As the mother of three young adults I sympathise with parents during this isolation period. Especially with the parents that need to look after children and young people with Asperger syndrome. I am a 53 year old woman with Asperger syndrome and I also have a son with this condition. And as such, I can see the difficulties that an AS person may experience from this sudden change in routine, and the impact on the whole family.
The disappearance of a fixed routine is difficult for any neurotypical person, and in the case of a global pandemic, feelings of fear and instability can take over. This is deeply unsettling for people with Asperger syndrome. If we imagine how it affects neurotypical people on a day to day basis, it is not hard to imagine how this can impact the Asperger mind and our obsession with routine. The unpredictable scenario that we are currently living is amplified in the Asperger Syndrome world. Questions such as ‘How long is this isolation going to last?’ ‘Are we going to get ill?’ and ‘ How long before a cure is found?’ may be normal in this situation. With the Asperger child or young person, this may be a point of fixation and obsession, likely being repeated several times a day.
The anxiety that the young AS person may experience is enormous and can escalate if not dealt with in its early stages with appropriate strategies. Manias and fixations are often the product of anxiety and fear as we struggle to find a middle point and go to extremes. You may find that in order to protect themselves from the virus a young AS person may create his own cleaning routines and take it to an obsessive level. For example, washing their hands excessively, and getting into fits of anger if somebody in his home does not follow their high standards.
What has happened in my case is that my sensitivity to smells has been triggered during this health crisis. My sensitivity to smells is a common sensory difference that I experience as an AS individual. On this particular occasion the smell caused a strong fear response stemming from a desire for cleanliness and safety. Last week I touched some garden soil and afterwards I could detect the smell of cat faeces. After washing my skin several times I could still detect the smell which caused me great discomfort and anxiety. I perceived this smell even after a whole day spent washing my hands with all sorts of cleaning products. While my neurotypical daughter and husband did not smell anything on my hands it was still a fear inducing event, brought on in part by the fear of the coronavirus.
Another thing that may result from this forced isolation is a decreased physical wellbeing, which is linked to an AS young person’s fear response, and can also affect their eating habits. The reliance upon comfort food can become an issue, which, accompanied by the lack of exercise, can affect their physical well being. In these times of food shortages, being flexible in our eating habits is something that we will all have to adapt to. This may not go down too well with AS young people.
An overload of information from the media and constant images of our current health crisis is a lot to process for any neurotypical adult, however this is multiplied for the Aspergers young person who can be in a state of flight or fight mode as I can testify in my own personal experience.
Finding coping strategies may be useful for you, or for your AS child. I am aware that for some AS people, after the initial shock and bewilderment of the imposed change to routine has been accepted, some may actually find relief from not having to go to school or college, and therefore avoiding spaces that may be difficult for them socially. However, once they return to ‘normality’ there will be difficulty in returning to these routines once again. The importance of finding coping strategies that work for you or your AS young person cannot be underestimated.
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