Autism is on the rise. The CDC reports that ASD is up from 1 in 68 in 2016 to 1 in 59 in 2018. That’s 15% in just 2 short years. Most people either know someone in their family or have someone in their community who is impacted by this disorder – we are interacting with people on the spectrum every day. I work with many individuals and families seeking help, focusing on an array of challenges, including the particularly common side effect of social isolation. Children on the spectrum often display a strong desire to connect with peers but have a lack of skill to appropriately do so. This means that they very much want to have friends and engage in social activities, but do not have the innate social radar that their neurotypical peers are born with. Thus, when they make social snafus they are continuously told what not to do and struggle to tweak their behavior for better results. It is critically important to build soco-emotional tools for those with ASD, as co-morbid mental health disorders are high; 20% of young adults with ASD report depression, and 29-50% of those with ASD report anxiety, compared to 18% of the general population.
