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It is well documented that anxiety and stress management challenges are common in Autistic children and young people and that anxiety may worsen during adolescence, as young people face increasingly complex social interactions and often become more aware of their differences and interpersonal difficulties. As of yet, there is little research into the link between Autism and EBSA but evidence and experience suggests that due to the anxieties that Autistic children and young people may experience, they are at increased risk of EBSA.
The factors which influence levels of anxiety within Autistic individuals, as with any child or young person, are multiple and often associated with context blindness, executive functioning, limited theory of mind, difficulties processing language, focus on detail and sensory processing differences. Recent research also considers intolerance of uncertainty as a key contributing factor to anxiety in Autistic children and young people.
Schools will be aware that they can be complex social environments that Autistic children and young people can find exhausting; they are spending cognitive energy managing social experiences and can become overloaded. Indeed, their anxiety may 'overflow' as depicted below and place them at risk of EBSA.
Given the increased risk that Autistic individuals experiencing high levels of anxiety may in turn experience EBSA, it is essential that there is early attention and intervention given to developing the child or young person's social skills, emotional literacy, resilience and their ability to self-regulate. Steps to address these are set out below.
Working with the child or young person
Working with the child or young person
Evidence and experience demonstrates that anxiety levels in Autistic children and young people can be reduced by adopting good practice approaches that are individualised to the child’s specific needs. This includes visual supports, structure, managing change and generally increasing the certainty of the school day. Further details of good practice strategies can be found in our downloadable section, and should include all adults working with a child or young person being made aware of the affect their communication style can have.
Steps to support reducing anxiety
Steps to support reducing anxiety
Step 1
Ensure that all adults working with the child or young person have an understanding of Autism and communicate appropriately and that adults have implemented general ‘good practice’ strategies when supporting Autistic individuals e.g. the child uses and is engaged with a visual timetable, relevant visual supports, calm space for emotional regulation.
Step 2
Key to the effectiveness of any intervention is having a sound understanding of the child or young person's needs. Consider using tools such as:
Social scripts
Visuals
Information provided by neurodevelopmental service
The Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook (available in Downloadable Resources)
Step 3
Plan and implement individualised strategies to develop the emotional and social skills identified in step 2.
Strategies may include those described in the School's Guide to EBSA.
Step 4
Review the impact of the interventions. It may be that, despite the good practice and interventions, the child’s anxiety continues to increase placing them at risk of EBSA and additional interventions will require implementation.
Please note that the advice in previous pages regarding Support and Action Plan are also relevant here and should be followed.
If there are indications that the child is at risk of EBSA it will be important to build up a clear picture of exactly what elements of attending school are increasing their anxiety in order that best endeavours can be made to alleviate the anxiety using suggested resources in the Resources and Support tab.
It may also be appropriate to seek specialist, outside agency support such as the Autism Outreach Team, Educational Psychology, Family Centres and/or the Educational Social Workers.
Working with parents/carers
Working with parents/carers
Schools could consider training courses that may be available to parents e.g. Early Birds Plus. Third sector organisations may provide training, such as STAND North Wales, they offer access to a range of training locally. Autism Wales and the National Autistic Society have many resources available for schools and parents/carers. Parent/carer support programmes can be accessed through the Conwy Family Centres.
Relevant links:
Conwy Family Life - Conwy County Borough Council
(STAND North Wales – Stronger Together for Additional Needs and Disabilities (standnw.org)
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