Anxiety is the body’s autonomic response to perceived danger and is otherwise known as the body’s fight, flight, freeze, fawn or faint mechanism. When one feels anxious their heart may start to beat a little bit faster, they may start to feel hot, they may breathe a little bit faster, or their palms may become sweaty. A person may find it difficult to know what to do and some are unable to ‘find’ words to articulate their needs. Imagine being sat in traffic, waiting for the light to turn green and suddenly someone bangs into the back of your car, not enough to seriously hurt you, just enough to frighten you. Most people will respond automatically in this situation. Some will cry, while others will become angry while more still will become silent. All of these responses are natural. For the person who experiences anxiety, this can also speak to their experience, not just in extreme circumstances as the afore mentioned example, but across every aspect of every day. Anxiety can actually be a good thing, motivating a student to study for an exam or a dancer to practice a particular move over and over to be sure they get it right. It is the emotion that motivates a person to perform to their best ability. Anxiety only becomes a problem when it prevents the individual from accessing otherwise preferred activities. Unfortunately, demands placed upon a person or an environment that is not is not conducive to sensory profile, mean that many autistic individuals live with pervasive levels of anxiety. It is imperative that we ask the autistic person what would work best for them and change the space accordingly. And we should be mindful always of the demands we place upon the person and reduce them if necessary to allow the autistic person maximise their potential.
