Introduction to the case
The case study is about Pat, who is a 60 year old male living in the suburb part of the city who was employed in an IT industry for several years. He left school at the age of 16 and by 17 he started working in the IT industry, quickly moving up the corporate ladder. In school, he was often bullied by other kids for his scrawny appearance. He was always very anxious at school and developed a compulsive habit of chewing on the shirt button whenever he was tensed. Even though Pat was very inquisitive and clever, the teacher rarely engaged him in communications and he was rebuked b his classmates whenever he asked a lot of questions as a result of which he became increasingly withdrawn and stopped engaging in the lessons fearing further negative experiences. He also stopped participating in extracurricular activities as the instructions for such activities were often verbal which he found difficult to follow and remember and that increased the rebukes he faced from his peers and other students and teachers. He always felt that he was different from other students, and he never received any additional support from the teachers to overcome such difficulties. Due to such adverse experiences, Pat soon stopped socializing with his peers and kept himself secluded. At the same time he also found interest in gadgets and typewriters. He found his break when a family friend invited Pat for a job where he can learn more about computers, which interested Pat. At work, people soon realized Pat’s skills with computers as he was able to fix computers as well as design products and by the age of 30 he became quite successful in the business, made a significant amount of savings due to his creative vision and ability to redesign machineries. However with a recent change in management, a new CEO was appointed in the company who managed the organization very strictly. His led to significant stress and anxiety for Pat due to the new changes and a lack of support. Par also has twin girls from his marriage and two stepsons. One of his step sons was diagnosed with ‘asperger’s syndrome’ and one of the twins was diagnosed of autism. Pat himself is growing signs of anxiety and depression and is having frequent outbursts of temper. His wife feels now that Pat might himself have Autism (Lo et al., 2018).
Development of adulthood support knowledge in autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a type of developmental disorder that inflicts the neuronal development of individuals which affects the cognitive, social, emotional as well as physical health of the individuals with varying ranges of severity. Its impact can include communication and speech difficulties, learning disabilities, problems with social interactions and obsessive or repetitive behaviors (Lo et al., 2018; Bradley et al., 2014). Due to such impacts, adults living with Autism Spectrum Disorder have certain special care needs (Anderson, 2018; Wong et al., 2014). Discussed below are some of the most significant support needs for an adult with autism:
Development of adulthood support knowledge in autism
Employment: Securing employment can be challenging for individuals with Autism as factors such as environmental noise, travelling and workplace changes can be stressful for them. Even though the individuals might have the necessary skills to perform and even excel at their job, the stress often can prevent their continued engagement with the employment. Through employment support, the individuals can be taught strategies to over the stressors. Also, the services can be used to develop organizational policies that can support the employment of adults with autism and create a stress free environment (Sanders et al., 2015; Lopez & Gerenser, 2017).
Accommodation: Supporting the accommodation for individuals with Autism can help them to live more independently, either alone or with others depending on their preferences with the necessary care always within reach. Supported living strategies can also be used in such an aspect to ensure continued support for the individuals (Sarrett, 2018).
Decision making support: Individuals with Autism often face a significant problem while taking complex decisions (such as financial decisions) which can increase their sense of anxiety and stress. Providing support for the decision making process can help to alleviate such stressors where the primary caregiver can make such important decision for the individuals on their behalf thereby helping to overcome that stress (Accardo et al., 2018).
Support programs: Programs that can support the individual to develop and learn social skills, leisure activities as well as skills of daily living and self care can help them to take better care of themselves and improve their social interactions and engage their leisure time in a more meaningful and interactive way. Programs for supporting employment skills are also important since they can help to increase employability among individuals with autism, and thus support their financial independence (Hahn et al., 2015).
Community care: Through community care and support it is possible to provide a holistic support for individuals with autism by coordinating the various care programs and increasing the accessibility to care (Burgstahler & Russo-Gleicher, 2015).
Psychological Therapy: Through psychological therapy, individuals with autism can be supported to overcome their stress and anxiety that individual often face on a daily basis. Treatments such as behavioral therapies can be useful to overcome behavioral problems faced by the individuals (Ponce et al., 2016).
Analysis of key issues in the case
From the case study, several important issues could be analyzed that are affecting Pat and his caregiver. These issues have been discussed below:
Lack of workplace support: With a change in the management (replacement of the CEO), the workplace policies have become more strict and the policies are enforced with an iron fist. As a result of which Pat no longer gets the support at work which he did under the previous management which have caused anxiety and stress for Pat adapting to the new changes and continue his performance without the support he needs.
Taking care of his twin daughters: This is also another stressor for Pat, as he had to take care of his twin daughters, often being awake all night to take care of them. Moreover, since one of the twins has been diagnosed with Autism and thus in need of extra care added to his anxiety.
Analysis of key issues in the case
Depression and Anxiety: Pat has also developed symptoms of anxiety and depression, having frequent emotional outbursts and fights with his wife. He is also sunning away social interactions and his small friend circle. Pat and his family is also facing anxiety and stress as two of their children have been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and Autism, as well as due to the workplace challenge faced by Pat which might jeopardize his employment and thus the future sustenance of the family.
Lack of Social support: With an evident lack of social support for Pat, their ability to live with the challenges has also been significantly increased, thereby affecting their mental wellbeing.
(Yahata et al., 2016; López & Keenan, 2014)
Rationale on how adulthood experiences can impact an individual with autism
Studies have shown that experiences during the adulthood can significantly impact individuals with autism and can both increase or alleviate the sense of anxiety or stress among the individuals. It has been pointed out that exposure to adverse incidents such as demise of family members or diagnosis of diseases in the family can increase a feeling of anxiety especially among individuals with Autism (Yahata et al., 2016). Such a stress can be further increased with a lack of support for adults with Autism. Since individuals with Autism can face significant challenges while taking complicated decisions (that requires analysis and consideration of several variables and factors), they often are highly stressed out while making important decisions (López & Keenan, 2014). Such stressors can impact both their physical and mental wellbeing. Stressors can also be caused due to work related and social factors according to some authors (Ponce et al., 2016; Bejerot et al., 2014). At work, coping up with the work pressure or changes in the work environment can be a stress of individuals with Autism. Similarly, stress can also be caused due to workplace bullying and discrimination that can cause the development of a negative self image and increase the risks of depressive symptoms among the individuals (Cheak?Zamora et al., 2015). This can also inhibit their ability to socialize and engage with communication with others. Social awkwardness and even social isolation have often been associated with this condition owing to the inability of Autistic adults being unable to engage with others in discussions which shows the impact of the social stressors on these individuals (Yahata et al., 2016). Moreover, the experiences of stress can increase the perceptions of pain and discomfort among individuals with autism as a result of which various regular conditions such as gastrointestinal problems can cause immense pain (Burgstahler & Russo-Gleicher, 2015).
Description of changes and challenges throughout generations through an individual and carer person first lens specific to autism in adulthood
Different changes and challenges are faced by individuals and their care givers in the context of adulthood autism which has been discussed below:
Dealing with changes- Changes in workplace, social or family environment can be a stress for individuals with autism as they can find it challenging to cope up with the change. Individuals with autism often prefer a predictable routine and familiar environment and due to the restricted and repetitive interest, high levels of anxiety and different sensory processing can convert even the smallest change to be highly stressful (Volkmar, 2015).
Rationale on how adulthood experiences can impact an individual with autism
Anxiety: Severe anxiety problems can be faced by individuals with autism due to their communication difficulties and a decreased ability to express their feelings which further makes it difficult to diagnose and treat depression and anxiety among them (Burgstahler & Russo-Gleicher, 2015).
Planning transitions: Preparing individuals with Autism for regular changes can be a significant challenge for the caregivers due to an aversion to any change. Helping an individual with Autism to plan for transitions in care, social life, or work life can help them to overcome their stress also can be challenging due to their communication problems (Accardo et al., 2018).
Emotional Instability: One of the biggest challenge while caring for individuals with Autism is an instability and volatility of emotions that can cause emotional outbursts and panic attacks which can be debilitating for both the individuals and their families or caregivers. This can increase the incidence of domestic problems and family conflicts (Volkmar, 2015).
Description of support needs required for the individual and carer using a person first lens in relation to adulthood
From an understanding of the challenges faced by individuals and their families and caregivers due to Autism, the following support needs can be identified:
Social Support: This can help individuals with Autism to better take care of their families as well as help to coordinate care between various care services helping to provide an overall care for the individuals and their families (Wong et al., 2014).
Psychological Support: This support is necessary as it can help the individuals to overcome the sense of stress and anxiety faced regularly and helps them to maintain their functionality and avoid any emotional breakdowns (Anderson, 2018).
Employment Support: This can help to ensure the continuance of employment for individuals diagnosed with Autism and therefore help to maintain financial stability and independence of the individuals (Bradley et al., 2014).
Pharmacological support: Medications to relieve individuals of anxiety and psychosomatic stress or pain is another support need for individuals with Autism (Lo et al., 2018).
Reflection on the impact of the changes in generational knowledge and practice
Due to the complex nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder that impacts both cognitive and psychological as well as behavioral aspects of an individual and how individual experiences can in turn impact such aspects, it can be outlined that the developmental impacts of the condition underlie the behavioral patterns seen among autistic individuals. These patterns are also increased due to individual or personal experiences that can be stressful for them. Factors such as unfamiliar environments, changes as well as behaviors of others towards the individuals (such as bullying or discrimination) can further increase the sense of stress and can make an individual to become more self conscious and reduce their sociability further exaggerating the problem. It is it vital therefore those individuals with autism are given support as well as shown patience and sensitivity, understanding the difference in their cognitive abilities and helping them to strengthen their skills while helping them to overcome their disabilities or problems and live a fuller life.
References:
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Anderson, M. P. (2018). Autism Spectrum Disorders. Developmental Neuropathology, 477-495.
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Bradley, E., Caldwell, P., & Underwood, L. (2014). Autism spectrum disorder. In Handbook of psychopathology in intellectual disability (pp. 237-264). Springer, New York, NY.
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Lopez, K., & Gerenser, J. (2017). Autism Spectrum Disorders. In Handbook of Child Language Disorders (pp. 100-126). Psychology Press.
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