Plans and Disruption
Plans are needed by everyone, otherwise nothing would be
organised, nothing would get done and the whole world would grind to a halt. But
if something doesn’t go to plan for most people they just shrug it off and move
on but when something that has been planned and goes wrong, a spectrum dweller
can quickly become overwhelmed.
The reason for this is the expectation, all humans fear the
unknown, and this is actually a normal reaction to not knowing things. But most
NT or “normal” people have found ways of overcoming this reaction to things
like plans being ruined. Unfortunately people who are on the spectrum find it
hard to cope with what most people would say is a small disruption simply
because they don’t know how to deal with the various aspects of misinformation.
The subconscious go to response in these situations is
anxiety, the sole purpose of this emotion is to convey to the individual that
they may be danger. When we lived in caves, and was hunted by other animals this feeling
was very useful, it could be used as a first line alarm of danger, that is why
the fight or flight response usually accompanies anxiety.
So, what can be done to help alleviate the situation when a
disruption to a plan occurs, the first step should always be to tell the individual
on the spectrum what has happened, how long it is likely to disrupt the plans. This
would also be a good time to inform them the plans are cancelled if that is the
case, although prior warning is always better. Also you would ask them how
would they like to proceed, as you are making giving the illusion of control to
the anxious person can be helpful but if they are to anxious to make the decision
asking them to do so could make the situation worse.
Now this will not apply to everyone who is on the spectrum
as they are all different, this is one of many routes you could take in order
to help calm the situation and possibly defuse what could quickly become a volatile
scenario if you’re not careful.
Good luck, thanks for reading and of cause, remember a
little patience can go a long way,
Spec.
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