It is normal to feel some anxiety when hearing about a natural disaster, especially when it is a big one, that directly affects thousands of people. Children who are on the autism spectrum tend to be rather anxious about life in general. Their anxiety can increase dramatically when they become aware of natural disasters such as the recent events in Japan. Fortunately, there are things a parent can to do help a child who has autism cope with his or her anxiety.
I am no expert, but I think that it is a very human response to immediately think about one’s own safety after hearing about a natural disaster. This is the sort of thing that brings out the survival instinct in many people. Once you know that you, personally, are safe from a particular tragedy, most people will attempt to contact their family members and loved ones who might have been directly affected by the disaster.
After that, many adults will start trying to find ways that they can help the people who need it. Only a relatively small portion of adults, after seeing the news from Japan, will experience anxiety severe enough to require assistance from a mental health practitioner.
Children, in general, don’t entirely understand the the images they see on the nightly news. Kids might think that they live much closer to someplace that is involved in a war, or that is experiencing a natural disaster, and this can cause the child to become nervous. Children who are on the autism spectrum, especially those who are high functioning, may become extremely anxious after hearing frightening news stories. It’s not unusual for children who have autism, or Asperger’s syndrome, to intently focus on one topic, to the point where they ignore everything else. This, of course, can increase the child’s anxiety.
Fortunately, there are things that parents can do to help ease their child’s anxiety. You can limit your child’s exposure to these kinds of news stories. Don’t let your child flip back and forth between CNN and your local news channel, for hours on end. Restrict the websites your child can view, so he or she isn’t obsessively reading over news websites, or watching videos of the disaster.
It can also be helpful if you can redirect your child away from focusing on the news right now. This is where the intense focus your child has for a favorite topic can be helpful. If their usual favorite thing is a certain video game, now is the time to let them play it a little bit longer than you typically would. If their favorite subject is trains, it may be time to visit the local train museum. Many children who have autism find it relaxing to submerge themselves into their favorite subject. Your child can benefit from the break and perhaps lose some of their anxiety in the process.
Image by Raymond Shobe on Flickr