An advocacy activity with outcome, or plan for advocacy
My plans in this domain overlaps significantly with my servant leadership plans. I would consult with an organization like the Nisonger Center and individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders about what the needs of the population are and which systemic barriers feel most oppressive. Through these resources, I would be able to learn where I could be most helpful. I don’t need to occupy a leadership role and can renounce advocacy that would be prestigious. I just want to help. I would include regular research into the population to continue to be knowledgeable about any legislature that could impact the population at a national, state, and local level. Being willing to call my Congressperson and spread information to others about the need to do so as well is a small way to have an impact at a high level. The image captures the need to be a force that elevates the individual. They are always the focus and their agency is retained.
I think an area for advocacy that appeals most to me is advocacy within OSU. Advocating within a smaller community may allow for larger effect. I see an organization like the Nisonger Center as the lift shown in the picture. My advocacy goal is to be one screw in that kind of machine. The person is still the most important and the machine is a necessary support. I’ve learned that constant humility and curiosity will ground me and remind me that advocacy means using my unearned privilege to be a voice for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
A servant leadership activity with outcome, or plan for servant leadership
This image reminded me of the danger of white knighting and the need to mindfully do the opposite. Don Quixote erroneously believed he was a knight and set out to have adventures. With much greater frequency than he improved a situation, this “knight,” though well-intended, left situations in which he had “helped” equally bad or worse than he found them. From this comical character, I drew lessons that are applicable to multicultural counseling. Instead of a temptation to be the haughty hero, any potential ally and advocate should recognize that helping starts with humility. As I learned through the readings, willingness to really listen, educate yourself, and be humble are places to start. I try not to mentally condemn people who step into the white knight role. Like Don Quixote, they mean well and don’t know better. It’s a place to start and I see that their heart is mostly in the right place. I do believe, however, that they need to continue in learning. People who do know better can take the risk to guide them to more advanced stages in their multicultural development. This type of risk isn’t glamorous, but it shows a willingness to share the burden that oppressed populations face all the time. Hopefully it could be corrective for the white knights.
With this in mind, plans for servant leadership should start where work is already being done. Any plan I make would likely be reinventing the wheel. The Nisonger Center at OSU is already doing so much to provide services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders at all ages. I’ve learned a lot during this project, but this knowledge represents a tiny fraction of who these individuals are and what their needs are. I could offer to play a role in a larger organization that better understands what should be done. I can then continue to learn and help as an invisible part of an organization that is creating change that matters.
The strengths-focused needs of the immersion population
Research indicates that the ASD population often has higher interest on average in mechanical objects, schedules, factual data; they may be preoccupied with a specific interest and highly knowledgeable about it (Reichenberg & Seligman, 2016). Children with high functioning ASD may even be seen as precocious in early childhood and not be diagnosed until elementary school. There is relatively little research on the adult population with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Heterogeneity among individuals with diagnoses makes generalizing the population’s strengths difficult. Employment improves self-esteem and quality of life, is associated with fewer problems with daily living skills and symptoms (Reichenberg & Seligman, 2016). Vocational training is effective at increasing employment (Seaman & Cannella-Malone, 2016).
The image relates in several ways. It illustrates a tendency in the population to have specific and deep-reaching interest and knowledge about a certain topic. Attention to detail and precision are celebrated. The image also symbolizes individual variation even within members of a group, as is observed in the population with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I now better understand how knowing people as individuals with unique abilities will lead to a better understanding of how to use a person’s strengths help them thrive. These innate gifts function as a base from which new strengths can grow. The plants in the image are different from each other, but each is worthy and fascinating.
Reichenberg, L. W. & Seligman, L. (2016). Selecting effective treatments: A comprehensive, systematic guide to treating mental disorders (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The systemic challenges faced by the immersion population
No person can exist separately from their environment. A windmill is a complex technology, but it only turns to create power when the wind blows. This feels like an appropriate metaphor for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, who can accomplish so much and lead fulfilling, engaged lives with the right environmental factors and supports. Individuals in this community face systemic challenges, such as lack of support building social support beyond their families (Orsmond, Shattuck, Cooper, Sterzing, & Anderson, 2013). Vocational training is underused in this population, but has been found to be effective at increasing employment with these adults (Seaman & Cannella-Malone, 2016). I feel that people deserve to be given the chance to thrive. I think that providing people with work skills and strong social connections allows them to feel fulfilled and to support themselves. I understand better now that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders may differ from neurotypical adults, but have their own unique gifts and perspectives that should be honored. By failing to appreciate a person’s gifts and needs, society deprives themselves and the individual of the best outcomes.
Connor, C. M. & White, S. W. (2018). Brief report: Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of individual mindfulness therapy for adults with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder, 48(1), 290-300. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3312-0
(2) The purpose of the research is to explore whether adults with ASD can improve their emotion regulation through a mindfulness-based intervention. (3) The literature is current and relevant, looking at both the needs of the population and the effectiveness of mindfulness in neurotypical adults, while noting that the existing research is limited. (4) The study was preliminary, so the sample was small (n=9). It included a mixed gender sample of emerging adults with ASD. The data was collected through self-report measures and coded observations. (6) The results suggest that these adults had improved emotion regulation and impulse control after the intervention, which justifies further, more comprehensive research into the topic. (7) The most relevant implication is that this type of brief intervention could help adults with ASD develop skills that will help them regulate themselves more effectively, which could improve their functioning in other domains, as well. (8) The main critique of the research is that the small sample size limits the generalizability. The author was clearly aware of the preliminary nature of the study, but the results should be accepted tentatively at this early point.
Orsmond, G. I., Shattuck, P. T., Cooper, B. P., Sterzing, P. R., & Anderson, K. A. (2013). Social participation among young adults with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 43, 2710–2719. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1833-8
(2) The purpose of the article is to learn about the many factors that influence the extent to which young adults with ASD participate socially. (3) The literature review looks at the extent to which adults with autism socialize, the effects of this interaction, and the quality of their connections. The authors note that there is a hole in the literature about the emerging adult population, specifically. (4) The research uses the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) data, which tracked students receiving special education over years and into young adulthood. (6) Social participation impairment occurs at a much higher rate in the ASD population than it does in similar individuals who have intellectual disabilities. (7) Better social connectedness is correlated with better outcomes in other domains and lower levels of comorbid diagnoses, making it worthwhile to increase opportunities for these emerging adults to connect with other people. (8) The study is relevant and constructed well.
Renty, J. & Roeyers, H. (2007). Individual and marital adaptations in men with autism spectrum disorder and their spouses: The role of social support and coping strategies. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(7), 1247-1255. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/10.1007/s10803-006-0268-x
(2) The research study examined whether social support and coping skills could predict individual and marital adaptation in men with ASD. (3) The literature review discusses the ABCX model they are using as a framework and the existing ideas around the effect of social support and coping in outcomes of people dealing with a stressor. (4) The participants were 21 couples in which the man had a diagnosis of ASD, they had been cohabiting at least one year, and had at least one child under 18 in the house as well. Data was collected through self-report measures. (6) The study found that informal levels of social support and lower levels of avoidance coping were associated with adaptation. Stressor severity and formal support were not associated with better outcomes. (7) The study did not find that formal support, such as professional services, increased positive outcomes. In what ways can professionals still be useful to this population? (8) The population of cohabiting parents in which the man has an ASD diagnosis is small, which limits the generalizability of the study. The participants were generally high functioning. I would be curious to see the same participants tracked over time.
Seaman, R. L. & Cannella-Malone, H. I. (2016). Vocational skills interventions for adults with autism spectrum disorder: A review of the literature. Journal of Developmental & Physical Disabilities, 28, 479–494. doi:10.1007/s10882-016-9479-z
(2) The purpose of this literature review is to provide evidence for the need for more vocational skills support for people with ASD, to summarize and critique available interventions, and to consider future directions for research. (3) The literature was selected based on extensive and clearly defined qualifications, which means that the research is relevant to the topic and tends to be more recent. (5) Many of the reviewed interventions provide useful guidelines about how to better support this population, but, in general, the research is limited on adults with ASD. Conducting further research is advisable. (6) The author’s main argument is that it is much more effective to provide vocational training and support than to continue with the current trends of under- and unemployment, which are higher in individuals with ASD than even people with other disabilities. (7) Supporting individuals is possible and results in better outcomes for the population. (8) The work is very thorough, relevant, and constructed well.
Smith, L. E., Greenberg, J. S., & Mailick, M. R. (2014). The family context of autism spectrum disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23(1), 143-155.
(2) The position paper argued for the importance of family warmth and support in diminishing symptoms of ASD over time. They introduce a program called Transitioning Together that targets the family environment as a promising place for intervention. (3) The literature summarizes the research on outcomes for adolescents and adults with ASD and looks at the impact of expressed emotion and warmth in the family on positive outcomes. (5) The main argument is that teaching families about how their expression of emotion affects the family member with outcome can be a way to indirectly reduce symptoms. (6) Through their program, families either are encouraged to continue with high levels of expressed warmth or are taught ways to reduce negative, critical feedback and to be more warmly supportive instead. (7) The implications are that there are ways to intervene to help improve the lives of adults with ASD that are less direct, but still shown to be effective. Family is often these adults’ primary or only source of social support and connection and it is a powerful influence on their well-being. (8) Understanding context, not just the individual, is always important, but seems especially key in the case of adults with ASD, who need more familial support than neurotypical adults.