RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
Reducing and Managing Stress
People with an Autism Spectrum Condition experience stress just like
everybody else. They will, however, experience stress more frequently
and severely than most other people due to the nature of their disability.
When in stressful circumstances, people with Autism, like us, try to
reduce the unpleasantness by escaping and avoiding the situation.
However, the strategies they use may be inappropriate to everyday
situations.
Most of us, when involved in stressful situations, can recognise our
emotions and are often able to isolate and explain what is upsetting us.
We frequently know what we must do, or what needs to happen to
alleviate our stress. People with an Autism Spectrum Condition, however,
have great difficulty in identifying their feelings and acting on them in an
appropriate way. Consequently, they are often unable to draw on their
experiences, or may be unable to engage the assistance of others, to cope
in a conventional manner with situations they experience as stressful.
Everyday situations can be challenging for the person with Autism. The
unpredictable nature of people and events, an overwhelming sensory world
of sights, sounds, tastes and other sensations can all be extremely
stressful. Added to these difficulties is a communication disorder which
impacts on the person’s ability to ask for help. Many may even find it
difficult to comprehend that other people may be able to assist them
when they are overwhelmed.
Unfortunately the attempts made by people with Autism to escape
stressful situations are often interpreted by others in a very simplistic
manner e.g. they are non-compliant or have poor impulse control. These
interpretations in turn lead to strategies that misread and exacerbate
the problem, and increase stress levels for the person with Autism.
It is vital that individuals who work with people with Autism are given
opportunity to develop the skills necessary to support the unique learning
and communication style of people with an Autism Spectrum Condition. It
is also important that we adopt an approach that recognises the
heightened level of stress and potential stress triggers which form part
of the everyday experience of people with Autism. Consequently, it is
crucial that as part of a wider system of skill development and support,
that we provide people with Autism with strategies to assist them in
relaxation. Support strategies will incorporate:

Teaching the individual to recognise their feelings of heightened
stress.

Teaching practical strategies which can be used to alleviate and
cope with stress in difficult situations.

Providing a vocabulary (verbal or visual) which enables the person
to communicate their feelings of stress to others.

Modelling the behavioural responses associated with relaxation
routines.
For relaxation programmes to be effective they need to be incorporated
into daily routines. Start teaching relaxation strategies when the person
is calm. Do not wait until the person is upset to commence teaching these
routines. If the techniques are to be effective, the person will need to
draw on the repetition and teaching which has been established during
calmer times.
The stages involved in a relaxation training programme should be clear
and predictable. For planned relaxation periods, familiar objects and
language should be used in order to develop an association between
particular language and relaxation behaviour.
The management of stress in an individual with Autism will involve a multifaceted approach, including consistent routines, predictable learning
sequences, informed teaching strategies and support tailored to individual
needs.
Relaxation training is not a short cut to addressing the primary source of
an individual’s difficulty, such as expectations which are set too high,
over or under stimulation, lack of communication support etc. Relaxation
strategies, however, work well with other education/training methods to
assist the person to cope in difficult situations and to experience a more
peaceful life.
PROMOTING RELAXATION
Everyday Strategies
The strategies used to promote relaxation will depend on the individual’s
needs, their learning style. What the person find comfortable and their
individual difficulties. Strategies, which are effective for one person,
may not be appropriate or successful for another person. Listed are a
number of everyday strategies which can assist and promote relaxation.
  Enjoyable activities. Use objects and activities that you know
the person is familiar with and enjoys. Assist them through
ongoing repetition and routine to associate the pleasant and happy
feelings associated with these activities with interaction with you.
Consequently, if they learn to associate you with happy/pleasant
feelings, you will find it a great deal easier to gain their attention
to re-direct them when they are overly stressed.
  Exercise programmes. Physical exertion can be a natural way of
preventing and reducing stress. Encourage the person to engage in
walking, swimming or gross motor activities. All these activities,
especially when carried out on a regular, predicable basis, can
assist in promoting feelings of wellbeing and may assist in lowering
the stress threshold.
  Massage. Not all people with Autism like to be touched.
Others, however, may find massage, especially deep pressure, very
relaxing. The use of firm, continual pressure has been noted by
many people with Autism to bring about feelings of relaxation and
wellbeing. Temple Grandin is a well-known author with Autism who
has written on the benefit of this approach for her.
  Other techniques may involve the use of creams, moisturisers
etc for hand or foot massage. We see very active, challenging
adults who all but go to sleep when having their hands massaged
with cream.
  Visual thinking. People with Autism are able to process and
understand visual information easier than verbal instruction or
directions. Pictures, written social stories or objects may be used
to re-direct the person to a more calm state when stressed. Visual
prompts can also be used to remind the person of the actions to
take to alleviate feelings of stress or to extricate themselves from
a stressful situation. The other advantage of using visual prompts
is that they are the least intrusive for the individual during times
of heightened stress.
  Auditory Stimulus. Some people may find listening to music or
story tapes relaxing. A Walkman and headphones can be used,
when appropriate, to block out sounds the person finds
overwhelming, painful or unpleasant. This can be particularly
helpful in a range of circumstances where particular noise is
upsetting to the individual i.e. noise on sports day or noise of
particular machinery in a workplace etc. It is important to
remember that you need to be aware of whether or not the
individual find using a Walkman pleasant. Otherwise, by using the
Walkman when the person is upset by noise, you may inadvertently
exacerbate an already overwhelming situation.

  Breathing exercises.
Teach the person deep breathing
techniques and pair a relaxation vocabulary (“breath in, hold,
breath out”) with the exercise. The vocabulary can then be used in
a stressful situation to trigger commencement of the relaxation
routine. This may assist in calming or re-directing the individual’s
attention in times of stress.