Stress coping parents of ASD children

Stress management technique: The population is parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and the technique is practicing yoga two to three times a week. This is a two in one technique which helps the parents as well as the Autistic child. Practicing Yoga helps with the Autistic behavior of the child especially with anxiety which is a big source of negative behavior, and this in turn helps with the stress parents of Autistic children experience. Yoga as a stress coping technique also includes practice of meditation and muscle relaxation. Radhakrishna (2010) did a study to explore integrated approach to yoga therapy (IAYT) as treatment to increase imitative skills in children with ASD. The study was conducted over a 10 month period and the results showed improvement in children’s imitation skills like pointing to facial, body parts and parents also reported improved free play time at home.

This technique includes practicing Yoga and meditation at least two to three times a week. The parents would conduct the exercise two day a week with their children and the children could practice on their own maybe at school or at a group class. A measure to evaluate the effectiveness of this stress management technique would be a log book or fill in sheet with yes/no to questions. The questions would range from what change in behavior is observed in the child with ASD and explore the feelings of the parents after the exercise. Questions about feelings of the parent would include those that are directed at their stress level, maybe feeling less anxious or stressed after the practice. The evaluation form would include a small box or section to report any other difference the parents feel that are not mentioned in the list of questions. A form would accompany the stack of question list that is filled out only once when the parents start recording. This form includes a brief history of ASD diagnosis, child’s current age and schooling details as well as other sibling information. This is crucial in our evaluation since we are looking at stress faced by the parents as a result of the challenges they face with their other children as well who don’t suffer from ASD.

The most important benefit of providing multiple stress management technique to stress sufferers is having a choice in case one technique fails. This is subject to the fact that every person handles stress differently, reacts in a different manner and may need individualized coping techniques that depend on the kind, time and intensity of the stress (learning resources, Smith, 2011). Manuck et al (1991) studied individual differences in cellular immune response to stress. Their study found that individuals differ significantly in their ‘immunological response to behavioral stimuli’ and such differences are also seen in response to stress.

There can be barriers to effective stress management. One barrier which can come up considering our stress management technique could be financial restraints. Yoga and meditation is an activity that can require some supervision and training initially. This can be done by a trained person and in form of individual training or as a group. Usually Yoga experts require some fee or charge a price for training individual or to allow them to participate in a group class. If the insurance carrier doesn’t cover this kind of expense related to the special condition of the ASD suffering child and his parents, then expense to use Yoga as a therapy would be completely covered by the parents. This can be a barrier in using this as a stress coping technique. Baspure et al (2012) looked at possible barriers to using Yoga as therapy for schizophrenic patients in India. Their study concluded that despite overcoming the barrier of cost effectiveness of the therapy technique, getting daily training under specialized supervision was still a barrier in many parts of the country. The therapy would be effective if practiced at least for one month, and to have specialized training for that long was a challenge.

There can be cultural or religious barriers as well. Yoga stems from Hindu and Buddhism practices, which can be unappealing in some cultures or religions for reasons of bias, personal views and social taboos. This kind of barrier can be relevant in other coping techniques as well.

References

Baspure, S., Jagannathan, A., Kumar, S., Varambally, S., Thirthalli, J., Venkatasubramanain, G. Gangadhar, B. N. (2012). Barriers to yoga therapy as an add-on treatment for schizophrenia in India. International journal of yoga, 5(1), 70.

  

Manuck, S. B., Cohen, S., Rabin, B. S., Muldoon, M. F., & Bachen, E. A. (1991). Individual differences in cellular immune response to stress. Psychological science, 2(2), 111-115.

Radhakrishna, S. (2010). Application of integrated yoga therapy to increase imitation skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. International journal of yoga, 3(1), 26.

Smith, M., & Segal, R. (2011, December). Stress management: How to reduce, prevent and cope with stress. Retrieved from http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm