Stress is a physiological reaction of the body to
life situations, including both happy and unhappy events (Groden, Cautela,
Prince, & Berryman, 1994). Any time a demand is made on a person
to make some sort of adjustment, it can lead to increased stress. Typical
stressors might
include marriage, divorce, positive or negative job changes, children,
fears and illness. People can alleviate stress by engaging in an activity
they find calming such as reading, physical exercise, painting, talk
therapy, or some other assertive action or relaxation routine. Individuals
with autism tend to have unusually high levels of stress ( Myles, 2002).
The source of this stress can be associated with social situations,
changes in routine, fear, interruption of a perseverative
routines or an inability to effectively communicate. Stress and
anxiety may take the form of screaming, throwing things, hitting, and
swearing or oppositional behavior. Such high levels
of stress should be addressed as a part of behavior intervention plans
designed to reduce such unwanted behaviors. Prolonged or intense stress
can be detrimental physically as well as psychologically and behaviorally.
This module will introduce you to some methods of stress reduction aimed
at helping the person with autism calm themselves in times of crisis,
and remain calm in predictably stressful situations.
