Medical Issues and Autism

We are often asked to lead sessions addressing personal matters. We always want to avoid quizzing or questioning (because no one likes that) so we aim to have more general discussions whenever possible.

Even in typical sessions, though, we can delve into more personal topics by leaving space for novel thoughts. This is one benefit of RPM - we are individualized so the student and teacher shape the lesson together. Once they have the regulation/tolerance, skills, and communication, the lessons can expand and allow for more student direction. The instructor should always be aware of and balancing the support they provide to work on goals.

Despite a planned lesson, a student ventured off and we shaped the discussion as we went to learn more about the student's perspective. Since we had heavier communication goals, we supported regulation and only pushed skills when the student was regulated and for short segments.

Below is a excerpt of the discussion with the student's responses in bold.

Autism is not my biggest issue. Blaming it for everything is the worst. It does not protect others from helping me. I have real needs that require support. Stop using autism as an excuse for lack of treatment. 

What inspired this?

When I was younger and everything was autism. I was not even human. It was horrible. People can struggle with other things. 

...(brief tangent directly related to the words in this response, but without the emotional connection since they were needing more regulation support)...

Why do you think this happens? That anything gets blamed on autism?

Blackbox and too big a spectrum. My peers are all varied and so many different medical issues. Easier to blame autism. 

How do we balance wanting to figure it out without subjecting someone to seemingly endless testing or procedures?

Admit we are a different population and learn how we work instead of treating us like anomalies. We have different norms and deserve quality medical care. 

This discussion did not give us specific information about their medical history or even current issues, but it did inform us on their perspective. Their mindset will impact all medical appointments and discussions that they have so it is important to understand.

What do you think of their perspective?