Auckland Therapy Counselling and Psychotherapy

Autism and Asperger's Therapy

What is Autism & Aspergers?

Autism is developmental disorder characterized by seriously impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviour. Asperger Syndrome is a less severe form of the disorder showing significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted patterns of interest. Together they are referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

What is the Cause?

Although the exact cause of ASD are unknown we do know that it effects approximately 1% of the population. We also know that ASD is a neurological condition; that is there is something structurally wrong in the way the connection between nerve cells in the brain develop and how the cells interact. As well as a genetic component to this disorder there is strong evidence that the incidence off this disorder is increasing at an alarming rate. The reasons for this are unknown but there are tantalizing clues that there are also environmental factors such as pollution and our chemical laden environment.

How is it Diagnosed?

The variety and range of effects of this disorder and the lack of a medical test also make in it difficult to diagnose and requires careful expert evaluation. More serious cases will become evident in the first few years of life by various developmental delays, particularly delays in language development and social skills. Less severe cases may not be picked up or misdiagnosed as learning disorders, behavioural problems or simple misunderstood as personality quirks.

Is There Hope?

The heartbreaking fact is that there is no known medical cause or cure for this disorder. There is however many things that can be done to dramatically improve quality of life and enhance developmental potentials. On our team we are fortunate to have Colleens Emmens who combines her skills as a psychotherapist as well as specialist training in Relational Developmental Interventions (RDI). Her vast personal and professional knowledge and experience is of huge value to those children, adolescents, adults, couples and families affected by this disorder. Her RDI approach goes right back to basics, addressing developmental deficits step-by-step to build missing neurological functions with dramatic results!

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