Families Living with ASD: Integrating MFTs in Systems of Care (AAMFT: Sept 3-6 th, 2015)

Transcription

1 Presented by: Brie Turns, M.S., LMFT-Associate Nicole P. Springer, Ph.D., LMFT Families Living with ASD: Integrating MFTs in Systems of Care (AAMFT: Sept 3-6 th, 2015)

2 Participants will identify struggles unique to families raising a child with Autism and how MFTs can serve this population. identify engagement strategies and create joining techniques to use in their setting in order to ensure the comfort and safety of the diagnosed child and family members. implement a family systems theory to a common struggle seen in families living with Autism. identify ways they can begin collaborating with Autism centers in their community and how collaboration will benefit the family system. Learning Objectives

3 Parents report high levels of: Depression 1, 2, 3 Emotional distress 4, 5 Anxiety 1 Burnout 5 Divorce 6 Feelings of isolation and sense of hope 1, 7 Defending parenting skills 8 Challenges: What does the research tell us? Low levels of: 9 Family cohesion Marital satisfaction Family adaptability Additional Findings: Believe systems are inaccessible 10 One parent cannot work outside of the home 11 Feel like an outsider in their child s life 10 Lifetime cost: $3.2 million 12

4 Became united and cooperated with each other 13 Family member connectedness 13 Undiagnosed siblings can provide physical care 13 Experience a spiritual awakening or strengthening 13 Initial decline but experienced new levels of relationship satisfaction 14, 15 Bonding through crisis/stress Personal transformations- new family, career, and community roles 16 Stronger marriages 16 Strengths

5 Pediatrician Key source for specialty provider referrals Is internal office structure efficient? Is pediatrician-parent relationship collaborative? Parent should feel heard, not pathologized Speech Therapist Help individuals with speech, stuttering, & speech impediments Physical Therapist (PTs) Focus on muscle strength and weakness and coordination. Occupational Therapist (OTs) Can overlap with PT s, typically focus on smaller muscle groups Look at child s sensitivity to sensory stimulation. Assess child s tolerance to sensations, input, stimulations from all senses Systems of Care

6 Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)- Reinforce desirable behaviors & decrease undesired behaviors. Build skill set/communication, life, & social skills Can be up to 40 hours a week Systems of care (cont d)

7 Nutritionist/Dietician Therapeutic Riding More extracurricular in nature Benefits: speech/language development, balance/coordination Documentary: The Horse Boy Respite Care Additional Specialty Services

8 Utilizing Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Families Living with ASD 17 (Turns & Smock-Jordan, under review) SFBT and Coping Strategies for Parents (Turns & Smock-Jordan) Contextual Family Therapy (Workshop conducted by Kathleen Nash in 2011) SFBT and Structural Family Therapy 18 (Brockman, Hussain, Sanchez, & Turns, in press) SFBT and Play Approach to Explaining Divorce (Turns, Hayes, & Springer, under review) 19 Theoretical application

9 Dateline: Carly s story ge&v=xmbzjleeono Family Therapy Case Example Clips

10 Optimizing scheduled appt. time during non-peak hours Reducing potential aversive stimuli for the child Lights Smells Textures Sounds Assessing physical safety, flight risk (outdoor fence/boundary) Runners Fascination with water, high drowning risk Prepping the Therapy Room

11 Be mindful, curious & sensitive Caregivers/parents attend intake alone Caregivers describe various family subsystems Assess the clinic for potential sensory issues Prepare for appropriate physical intervention Ex. Head banging, other violent behavior How does parent handle outbursts? Schedule family session soon after the intake Learn about experiences with systems of care Release(s) of information. Getting Started

12 While engaging with the diagnosed child Allow for delayed responses to questions/commands Provide appropriate physical space Maintain the bubble Don t force engagement in activities Introduce 2 choices Model desired behavior Attend to non-verbal behavior Don t force eye contact How to enter their world

13 Reducing therapist discomfort Avoid common reactions/judgments: Community social experience Problem centered. Isolation from community and families. Tantrums/Head-banging Self-stimulation Rocking, hand flapping Gastrointestinal difficulties Self of the Therapist

14 Parent-diagnosed child Guilt regarding demands of diagnosed child s needs Siblings Can feel invisible Don t feel justified by their unique needs in comparison to diagnosed child Feel unfairly treated Parent-non-diagnosed child Encourage separated dyad time and activities Parent/Partner/Couple sub-system Encourage kid-free time together Increase social support for each parent 2 Monitor self-blaming behaviors/thoughts Monitor divorce/separation thoughts 19 Sub-System Components

15 Extended family Often don t feel equipped to provide childcare Have fears of violent outbursts Question parenting approach, creating defensive cycle of interactions 8 Larger support systems Churches, Religious communities Local ASD organizations Online blogs Sub-System Components

16 Family Therapy Clip

17 Information Available: References PowerPoint Slides Resources for Families Living with ASD Resources for MFTs DSM-5 checklist for an ASD diagnosis List

18 Brie Turns, M.S., LMFT-Associate Nicole P. Springer, PhD, LMFT