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Steven C Altabet, Ph.D
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Developing Positive Emotions 

2/25/2015

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Last post I introduced the value of increasing positive emotions by increasing the awareness of people with ASD to the positive events and emotions the person is already experiencing.  While this is a helpful beginning, it is often not sufficient to convince an overly critical thinker to think more positively.  Belief in new ways of thinking only change when experience changes in a way that backs up new beliefs.  It's like with confidence.  Confidence only comes when you have a history of previous success to draw upon during times of difficulty.  In order to increase both confidence and belief in the value of positive thought, there needs to be an accumulation of positive experiences.  For many people with Autism, I believe that the best way to do this is to actively include successes and activities that lead to positive emotions into the daily schedule. 
       I would start by developing a list of activities that the person can perform successfully or helps the person feel good about themselves.  This is not isolated pleasure seeking like playing video games alone, but an interactive and productive activity that the person enjoys and has some skill.  The best activities are ones where there is not only success/proficiency, but also the opportunity of giving to/helping others.  The opportunity to give support rather than merely receive it increases self worth and increases the enjoyment of the experience.  Make sure the person having to do these actions is contributing to the list. 
     Once the list is completed, designate a specific time each day when the positive activity is to be conducted.  The person and caregiver can choose an activity from the list each day.  As long as the activities are not too challenging or stress provoking there should be cooperation in doing these.  Encourage the person to acknowledge their feelings during the activity.  Statements such as "You've been a big help, you should feel proud of what you done" could spur the person to think of other positive emotions or at least help them identify a positive feeling that they may have had trouble putting into words.  Once the activity is completed, there may need to be some down time to wind down and recover from the stimulation and interactive activity.  Once daily practice of positive activity is begun, experiencing of positive emotions will begin to become real and not just a bunch of words without meaning.

Steven C. Altabet, Ph.D.      
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Positive Thoughts

2/18/2015

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I've been taking a course on Positive Psychology for personal interest, but the more I learn the material, the more I think that this information could be of great benefit for people with Autism (ASD) if presented in a way that they could relate to.  When I have tried to introduce more positive thinking to my higher functioning clients with ASD, many of them have resisted the idea calling my approach 'unrealistic' believing that people who are primarily happy are either fake, lack intelligence, or live in fantasy land.  I believe the reason for this is that a cognitive strength of many people with ASD is there ability to think analytically and to focus on small details.  While this can be a great asset in situations where attention to detail is needed, it can also lead highly critical and negative thinking.  Negative emotions in turn are experienced very strongly and become highly reinforcing leading to a spiral of negative thoughts and emotions.  Negative emotions also lead to a restriction of thought which allows a person with ASD to remain in their comfort zone.  Positive thoughts in contrast are experienced more subtlety, but lead to broader thinking and new ideas/experiences.  So, in essence, by promoting positive thoughts, you are asking a person with ASD to go away from their cognitive strength and enter a place that is uncomfortable for them, except in areas of personal interest. 
      Fortunately, Positive Psychology does not promote the elimination of negative thought or critical thinking.  These are important for us to keep safe and protected in environments that can be unpredictable.  What is does do, however, is provide a framework to put these negative/protective thoughts into proper perspective.  One of the main tenants of positive psychology is that while negative emotions are felt more strongly than positive emotions, most people experience much more positive events in their lives than negative ones and if a person is aware of the these positive events, the increased number of them 'off-sets' the high emotional charge of negative events leading to a balanced emotional state.  This can be difficult for those who think in extremes or have trouble picking up on subtleties, but I believe that an acceptance of positive thought can be developed in the same graduated experiential way that many other adaptive, communication, and social skills are increased.
     In the beginning, let's start small.  Have the person with ASD think of one positive experience each day and communicate it in the best way that they are able (speaking, writing, pictures, etc.).  The person may need some suggestions of positive events to get started or they can use their personal interest, although it would be helpful for the person to identify positive events outside of personal interests as well.  Once the positive event is identified, have the person relate how it made them feel.  Even if the response is just "good" that's an important place to start.  Over time the number of daily positive events can be slowly expanded.  Ideally, you'd like a ratio of at least 3 positive events/thoughts to 1 negative event/thought. Highly optimistic people have a ratio of about 5:1.  Once the person begins to think more positively, then the opportunity for greater perspective regarding the negative emotions can be achieved.

Steven C. Altabet, Ph.D               
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    Steven C. Altabet, Ph.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist with a specialty in Autism Spectrum Disorders  

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