Autism (ASD) Therapyavoadmin22024-07-28T22:14:26-04:00
Therapy for Neurodiverse Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Freedom To Be
At Toronto Psychology Centre, we offer empowering, evidence-based therapy for adults (18+) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Serving individuals across Ontario through convenient online video sessions, we recognize and address the unique challenges faced by adults with autism.
Our devoted team is committed to helping you embrace and celebrate your true self. We collaboratively develop personalized treatment plans that address your unique needs, ensuring you feel safe, supported, and understood. Flourish in a therapeutic environment designed to nurture and affirm your individuality. If you’re seeking autism-focused and neurodivergent-affirming therapy, we’re here to help you navigate your journey with compassion and understanding. Reach out now to get started.
Growing up with autism involves unique challenges in a world designed for neurotypical individuals. It’s a diverse condition with symptoms varying widely among individuals. Common associations with autism include difficulty with eye contact, communication challenges, sensory issues, and intense focus on specific interests. However, less obvious symptoms like amplified emotions, high empathy, perseverative thinking, and executive dysfunction are also part of the spectrum.
Adults with autism are more likely to experience stress related to social interactions, such as navigating social cues, various aspects of communication, and forming relationships. Educational environments can be particularly challenging due to the need for specific accommodations to succeed in college or university. In the workplace, autistic individuals face additional hurdles, including the job search and interview process, managing workplace dynamics, and coping with anxiety that can impact job performance and retention. Moreover, many adults with autism experience anxiety, depression, sensory sensitivities, and difficulties with emotion regulation.
Adults with autism share the same aspirations as neurotypical individuals but often face unique challenges in achieving them. Our strengths-based approach recognizes and builds on your values and aspirations, emphasizing a compassionate and trusting therapeutic relationship as the cornerstone of effective therapy.
We focus on helping people see the patterns within their lives, both internally and externally. This includes your unique social and emotional rhythms, the ways in which the world around you responds to those rhythms and your needs, and how well those responses fit your needs. Using that insight into the patterns of your life, we guide you toward internal growth and building self-advocacy. Together, we will navigate what is meaningful to you with dedication and care.
Psychologists at Toronto Psychology Centre have a comprehensive understanding of ASD’s diverse expressions and unique hurdles. We highlight your strengths and advocate for treatments that respect your uniqueness, enhancing communication, social skills, self-understanding, and overall well-being. We also provide assessment for those questioning whether they are on the spectrum.
Societal awareness of autism is growing, but misunderstandings still exist, which can contribute to feelings such as sadness, frustration, or ostracization. Employment challenges can also impact self-esteem. An empathetic, well-informed therapist will help you manage these emotions and build necessary social skills tailored to your cognitive style.
Conforming to neurotypical norms can present significant challenges for individuals with autism. Sometimes a very specific picture of autism comes to mind, which doesn’t capture the diversity of the individuals with this neurotype. Misconceptions about autistic individuals, or anyone, are harmful because we fail to see the person’s individuality beyond their ‘label’. This can negatively affect equal opportunities for work, education, relationships, and other areas.
- Myth 1: Autism rarely occurs in girls and women.
- What we are learning from research and women’s experiences is that ASD looks different in women and is more likely to be missed. Women are more likely to engage in something called camouflaging which refers to explicit efforts to ‘mask’ or ‘compensate’ for autistic characteristics by using conscious or unconscious techniques to minimize the presentation of social difficulties. Examples are learning and following social scripts, imitating facial expressions, tone, and gestures. This can make females seem more socially adept and less likely to be identified.
- Myth 2: Autistic people lack social skills.
- Autistic individuals’ social skills differ from neurotypical individuals, which can make it challenging for them to navigate social situations with neurotypical individuals. Autistic and neurotypical individuals struggle to interpret the social-communication cues of each other; however, the failure to understand and communicate effectively tends to be solely placed on autistic individuals. This is referred to as the Double Empathy Problem. In response, some autistic people have developed “camouflaging” or “masking” skills by observing others; however, these actions can be exhausting and feel disingenuous.
- Myth 3: Autistic people have an intellectual disability or are geniuses.
- Autism is not one thing and how it is present in individuals varies widely across the spectrum, including someone’s intelligence. Intelligence varies, just as it does for neurotypical individuals. An area that can be frequently challenging for autistic individuals is executive functioning, which are the mental processes that enable a person to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.
- Myth 4: That “high functioning” means that things are not hard for the person.
- The label “high functioning” usually translates into high expectations, which is not fair to a person. Just because a person doesn’t appear to be struggling doesn’t mean they aren’t working incredibly hard and need support. Further, the term high-functioning can be taken as a person being better than someone who is “low-functioning”, which has harmful consequences.Myth 5: Autistic people do not feel empathy.For many autistic people their experience of empathy can be more intense compared to neurotypical people. Knowing how to manage those feelings or how to act on them is what can be challenging. There are many ways to show empathy and how an autistic person expresses this may be misunderstood by neurotypical people. It is important to learn the ways that autistic people in your life communicate their empathy and share how you want them to support you.
Finding compassion and embracing your uniqueness is expressed beautifully in this brief TedTalk: How Autism freed me to be myself
Getting Started Today
Ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment?
Contact us to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward a brighter future. You’re not alone. Together, let’s embrace individuality and overcome challenges.
