The medical profession has changed the diagnosis of Autism from a group of several separate disorders that included Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Development Disorder to, what the DSM-5 now calls, Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a recent report that 1 in 68 children have an Autism Spectrum Disorder. The rate is higher in boys, with 1 out of 42 receiving this diagnosis.
There is no known cure for Autism. Behavioral Health professionals now believe that the essential first step is to recognize these personality deficits early. Most individuals afflicted with Autism have difficulty with anxiety and processing sensory information. Because many who fall on the autism spectrum, however, have the potential of becoming high achieving adults, new treatment strategies have been shown to have a positive effect.
Among the many professionals who work with people on the autism spectrum, social workers have moved to the forefront in the areas of case management, community interaction, and social skills training. Some states are paving the way for social workers to take a lead role in helping people on the autism spectrum learn the skills they need to be successful in both the community and the workplace.
Although social workers often work in clinical environments, their training allows them to practice in many other settings, providing services such as mental health diagnostics, program implementation, individual counseling, and group therapy; all of which can benefit people on the autism spectrum. Additionally, because social workers are trained to provide individual and group therapy services, they make effective social cognition coaches who can help an increasing number of adults with autism learn to cope with the ambiguous and sometimes frustrating world of workplace social interaction.
Mental health professionals are no longer trying to cure Autism Spectrum Disorder. They now create teams of social workers that can effectively treat personality deficits in social interaction. This one subtle but brilliant insight has changed the entire autism landscape by offering those who fall on the autism spectrum a new self-image, filled with self-acceptance and a way forward toward a productive life.
