Our BTEC Level 3 Performing Arts students took part in a series of teacher led workshops, practically exploring some of the sensory symptoms that can occur as a result of having Autism.
This enabled the students to fully appreciate some of the restrictions and day to day difficulties that someone may experience on the Autistic spectrum.
RESTRICTED AND REPETITIVE PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOUR EXPLORATION
Restricted and repetitive patterns of thought, interests and physical behaviours – including making repetitive physical movements, such as hand tapping or twisting, and becoming upset if these set routines are disrupted.
Obsessions, repetitive behaviour and routines can be a source of enjoyment for people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and a way to cope with everyday life. But they may also limit people's involvement in other activities and cause distress.
Q: kevin @CarlysVoice I have a 16 year old who has a fascination with cards, numbering as like the clock on a VCR. Do you have any thoughts why?
A: Repetition is always a good way for us to stim. Visually stims like seeing numbers & repeating it in our head/out loud are always great.
My mind was constantly whirring with thoughts, worries and concerns. The time spent with my obsession was the only time in which I had a clear mind - it gave me that much sought-after relaxation. Young person with Asperger syndrome
People with an ASD have many different obsessions but some of the more common ones include computers, trains, historical dates or events, science, or particular TV programmes. Many younger children with an ASD like Thomas the Tank Engine, dinosaurs or particular cartoon characters. Sometimes, people develop obsessions with things like car registration numbers, bus or train timetables, postcodes, traffic lights, numbers, shapes or body parts such as feet or elbows.
People with an ASD may also become attached to objects (or parts of objects), such as toys, figurines or model cars - or more unusual objects like milk bottle tops, stones or shoes. An interest in collecting is also quite common: it might be Star Trek DVDs, travel brochures, insects, leaves or bus tickets.
It is the intensity and duration of a person's interest in a particular topic, object or collection that marks it out as an obsession. People will often learn a lot about a thing they are obsessed with, be intensely interested in it for a long time, and feel strongly about it.
There are several reasons why people with an ASD may develop obsessions, including:
- obsessions may provide structure, order and predictability, and help people cope with the uncertainties of daily life
- people who find social interaction difficult might use their special interests as a way to start conversations and feel more self-assured in social situations
- people who find social interaction difficult might use their special interests as a way to start conversations and feel more self-assured in social situations
- obsessions may help people to relax and feel happy
- people can get a lot of enjoyment from learning about a particular subject or gathering together items of interest.
- people can get a lot of enjoyment from learning about a particular subject or gathering together items of interest.
 |
Class discussion: Have you ever throughout your life become obsessed with a
programme, toys, facts, figures, historical events as a security blanket and a form of escape from reality?
Why did you develop this obsession, did you use it to hide an insecurity or as a distraction from reality?
Link to National Theatre Production:
'THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME' based on the novel by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens
Christopher Boone and Asperger Syndrome
Christopher is a 15-year- old with Asperger Syndrome (AS) who attends school for pupils with special needs. Christopher is there because his poor social understanding causes him such confusion that he reacts with major behavioural problems. Christopher is supremely logical and he uses logic in two different ways. The first is at school, for mathematics. Christopher sees patterns in numbers, which enable him to solve complex math problems.
The students have been using extracts from the play as a stimuli in their own devised piece to further explore repetitive behaviours on the Autistic Spectrum
'The rule for working out prime numbers is really simple, but no one has ever worked out a simple formula for telling you whether a very big number is a prime number or what the next one will be. If a number is really, really big, it can take a computer years to work out whether it is a prime number.' - Christopher Boone - Quote from play
What makes prime numbers different, such that they don't make him uneasy like other unpredictable things? This shows that Christopher has decided his own repetitive behaviours using prime numbers obsessively to provide comfort.
Prime numbers are what is left, when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them. 
Autisim is a heightened version of these everyday obsessions and a way of feeling
more self assured.
WORKSHOP 3
CLASS EXPLORATION OF OBSESSIONS AND AUTISM
Heavy metal music plays in the background as a reminder of the sensory distractions caused by hyper sensitivity as seen in earlier exercise.
Game of Flashcards
Autistic actor- provided with Flashcards / they are obsessed with the cards being placed in categories: Food, Animals, Numbers, Objects, People
The cards are strategically placed in the categories on a table by the Autistic actor.
Autistic Actor then explains to partner B what the groups are in a logical and literal fashion Partner B questions the groups and tries to rearrange the categories
The music gets louder the more partner B ruins formation of cards and categories as arranged by autistic partner
The music gets louder the more partner B ruins formation of cards and categories as arranged by autistic partner
Teacher calls out anxiety level- 1-10 / autistic actor increases anxiety in accordance with number
Post exercise evaluation: What were the differences between the Autistic actor and their rationale for the cards as opposed to Partner B?
In the comment box below the students have commented on their experiences of this exercise and what they learnt about someone experiencing repetitive behaviours on the Autistic spectrum.
When the music was being played you had to find something that distracts you from the loud music and to distract you from feeling anxious and this was through the use of the Flash cards. We had to concentrate on the cards and put them into specific categories in order to feel safe and content. We only had a short amount of time to do this, and we had to complete the piles in this time limit and this made us do it even quicker but it affected my thoughts because you only thought of how long you had left and if you didn't complete it in time then something could go completely wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis taught me that autistic sufferers distract themselves from the sensory overload and can do this by using objects and putting things into order.
Shaza Cooley
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the exercise and found it extremely helpful. It helped to simulate and experience something similar to what a hyper-stimulated autistic person goes through on a day to day basis. It has given me more of an understanding of their condition and has made me develop more empathy towards them because of it.
I found this exercise to be very helpful and informative. I highly recommend it for anyone who is curious to know what it is like to have the condition.