Helping Your Child Face Fears and Anxiety: Exposure Therapy.

One of the most basic therapeutic interventions we use in dealing with Anxiety (stress, fears and phobias) is Exposure Therapy. It's also one of the most complicated ones, and one that can go wrong easily. Children with Aspeger's Disorder, autism (ASD), ADHD and other related disorders relating to anxiety need, eventually, to "face their fears" and become exposed to what scares them. The complication with children who have Asperger's and autism is that some of the normal responses we would expect during exposure don't happen. These children have difficulty switching mental sets...transitioning from one mental or emotional state to another- and some of their anxiety is more related to neurological causes that need careful intervention. (A good resource for help with issues such as sensory issues would be your school's Ot or Occupational Therapist.)

Still, there are two good resources I can recommend on this topic, both are provided by the BC government.

1) AnxietyBC has an excellent handout, downloadable and free, that is part of their overall Anxiety Program for children. You'll find this at their website: AnxietyBC.  The name of this handout is "Helping Your Child Face Fears: Behavioural Exposure.  Thi set of materials helps you develop an understanding of fears and anxiety that your child suffers from, and helps you develop a clear program for address it. This includes building a "Fear Ladder," telling you how to appropriately reward brave behaviour, and how to do "exposure" and "Face Their Fears."  Over and over they give you an important piece of advice: Don't Rush, Practice, Set Goals.

2) AnxietyBC also has a couple of excellent videos that walk you through the process, actually demonstrating these techniques. I'd recommend watching the DVD "Separation Anxiety" and the DVD on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." I'd watch both of these because the more exposure to use of these techniques you have, the greater your chances you will do them correctly. And the more information, knowledge and practice you have the less anxiety you will have yourself. And nothing is more important than doing this in a relaxed manner. There is a third excellent DVD for adults: Effectively Managing Panic Disorder: A Self Help Guide that might also help you understand the process.

All of these DVDs are available through AnxietyBC, and most can be found at the public library. Remember, you can go on-line and reserve a DVD (or book) and as soon as it is available the library will email you and you can pick it up at any branch. If your anxious about doing this, just drop in to your local library and ask for a demonstration or walk-through.

While there are other programs and materials that I suggest and use in my practice with children and adolescents with Anxiety and Stress issues, especially children with Asperger's Disorder, autism (ASD) and related problems, these are great materials to start with.  If your going to help your child with Anxiety, you need to become an Anxiety expert. This is possible with these types of supports.

About Dr. Roche:

Dr. Jim Roche is a Registered Psychologist and a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist with offices in Vancouver and Burnaby, BC. He has been in practice for over 25 years and has served as a Provincial Consultant on Asperger's/Autism/ASD as well as Director of Behaviour Programming for several school districts here in Canada, in New York and California. In addition to being a Registered Psychologist he is a Certified/Licensed Teacher of Special Education and School Psychologist.

Other information about Dr. Roche can be found at:  <a href="http://relatedmnds.com">www.relatedminds.com</a> or <a href="http://www.relatedminds.com/adhd">www.relatedminds.com/adhd</a>. Other information on my practice can be found at: <a href="http://Therapists.Psychologytoday.com/70682">http://Therapists.Psychologytoday.com/70682</a>, http://www.bcpsychologist.org/users/jimroche or <a href="http://psyris.com/drjimroche">http://psyris.com/drjimroche</a>.

Specific Information about his services for children with autism and Asperger's Disorder can be found at: http://www.relatedminds.com/autism/