10 Steps to Reducing Your Child's Anxiety on the Autism Spectrum: The CBT-Based 'Fun with Feelings' Parent Manual

by Michelle Garnett, Dr Anthony Attwood, Louise Ford, Julia Cook, Stefanie Runham

Overview

Recognising, expressing and understanding emotions helps young children make sense of their life experiences. Children diagnosed with autism can have significant difficulties with recognising and processing emotions which can lead to high levels of anxiety as they struggle to make sense of the unpredictable world around them.

The 'Fun with Feelings' programme is designed to help parents support their children with emotional regulation and to decrease anxiety. This guide is structured around 10 stages. The initial four stages prepare parents to implement the programme with their child. These stages help parents understand the causes of anxiety and provide practical strategies for creating a toolbox to reduce anxiety. The final six stages are used in conjunction with Having Fun with Feelings on the Autism Spectrum: A CBT Activity Book for Kids Age 4-8, allowing parents to support their child while working through the activity book.

Written by world-leading experts in the field, 10 Steps to Reducing Your Child's Anxiety on the Autism Spectrum provides the steppingstones for parents of young children with autism to better understand their child's emotional skill set and empower them to understand and articulate their feelings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787753259
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	05/21/2020
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.85(w) x 9.61(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Michelle Garnett, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and founder and Director of Minds & Hearts: A Specialist Clinic for Asperger's Syndrome and Autism. She has specialized in autism spectrum disorders for the past 20 years, and created the first screening instrument for Asperger's Syndrome, the Australian Scale for Asperger's Syndrome (ASAS) in 1993. She lives in Brisbane, Australia.

Tony Attwood, PhD, is a clinical psychologist from Brisbane, Australia, with over 30 years of experience with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. He is currently Adjunct Professor at Griffith University in Queensland.

Louise Ford, DPsych, is a clinical psychologist and Director of the Brighter Futures Psychology clinic in Brisbane, Australia. Since 2007, Louise's work has centred around assisting individuals on the autism spectrum and she particularly enjoys working with young children and their families. Louise spent the first seven years of her career at the Minds and Hearts clinic.

Stefanie Runham, DPsych, is a clinical psychologist working in private practice in Brisbane. She has specialised in children, anxiety and ASD for over 10 years.

Julia Cook, DPsych, is a clinical psychologist. She has ten years experience working passionately with the autistic community in supporting and celebrating children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. She previously worked with Professor Tony Attwood and Dr Michelle Garnett at Minds and Hearts Clinic in Brisbane, Australia.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Overview of How to Use Fun with Feelings to Decrease Your Child's Anxiety 7

Stage 1 Understanding Anxiety in ASD 14

Stage 2 The Environmental Toolbox 50

Stage 3 The Parent Toolbox 76

Stage 4 Small Steps to Conquer Big Fears 99

Stage 5 Happiness 128

Stage 6 Sadness and Happy Tools 148

Stage 7 Worry and Thought Tools 165

Stage 8 Relaxation 191

Stage 9 Anger and Physical Tools 211

Stage 10 Affection and Social Tools 231

Final Word 249

Appendix A Anxiety Survival Plan 250

Appendix B Instructions to Prepare the Puppets for the Programme 252

References 254