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EMBRACING NEURODIVERSITY AND FINDING HELP FOR YOUNG ADULTS WITH HIGH FUNCTIONING AUTISM

Many high schools may provide college prep resources, but do not provide adequate transition planning help for young adults with high functioning autism. While they may have been successful in high school, many young adults struggle with questioning: Where do I go from here? How am I supposed to get there? Who is going to help me now? Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that every individual has a different range of needs and abilities, so therapeutic options must be individualized as well.

 

Difficulties with Transition

 

In high school, students may receive accommodations to create safe environments that will help them better process the curriculum, however; students do not learn the soft social skills that will help them transition into adulthood. They may have relied on their parents and teachers to meet their needs and struggled to recognize their own strengths and develop their own coping skills that would prepare them for independent living.

 

Young adults with high-functioning autism may struggle with

  • Adjusting to new environments
  • Working in groups
  • Trouble keeping up in conversations
  • Being overwhelmed easily
  • Branching out from restricted and repetitive interests
  • Flexibility around their routines
  • Making independent decisions and understanding the consequences of their actions
  • Difficulty setting personal short-term and long-term goals
  • Hopelessness about the future

 

Employers understand that diversity in age, gender, and cultural background are beneficial to the workplace, however, they are beginning to see how neurodiversity can be a competitive advantage as well. People on the spectrum have a different way of seeing and understanding the world. When they begin to see their differences as strengths, they can use them to their advantage to have successful careers. For example, people with high-functioning autism are more likely to be passionate about a specific subject, have a strong and focused work ethic, and thrive off of structured routines and finding out answers. Building self-esteem and self-determination can help individuals embrace their neurodiversity.

 

How Trails Momentum Can Help Young Adults with High Functioning Autism

 

Teaches students to live simply. People on the spectrum may benefit from the routine of wilderness therapy and freedom from distractions. Living simply and mindfully can be helpful for people struggling with sensory processing issues, organizational skills, and building greater self-awareness. Our slow-paced environment allows for a greater sense of comfort and competence.

 

Builds communication skills. We empower students by giving them the tools they need to understand their needs and strengths and to share them with others. We encourage students to process their experiences in individual therapy, group therapy, and through self-reflection using nonviolent communication and emotion regulation skills.

 

Increases social support. While every student’s therapeutic plan is individualized, students participate in group therapy and work together as a team in adventure activities, which helps them build intimacy and empathy with others. Many of our students struggle with social interactions and social withdrawal, however; a wilderness model teaches them how to be interdependent.

 

Adventure TherapyAt Trails Momentum, we offer a variety of wilderness-based adventure opportunities, such as hiking, backpacking, canoeing, mountain biking, rafting, rock climbing, fly fishing, and primitive skills. We believe exposure to these activities can help students find healthy activities they are passionate about, but they also serve as lessons on teamwork, leadership, and confidence.

 

Trails Momentum is a wilderness therapy program for young adults struggling with the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Many of our students struggle with mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, low self esteem, and high-functioning autism that have impacted their ability to move forward in setting and achieving their goals. This program uses adventure-based therapy to foster the development and improvement of independence, self-confidence, and self-awareness. We believe that life begins outside your comfort zone in finding safe and peaceful environments that allow our students to focus on themselves and address their behaviors and how they impact the world around them. Trails Momentum gives young adults the skills they need to lead healthy, happy, independent and successful lives.

 

Therapeutic Programs For Young Adults
Wilderness Programs for Young Adults
Failure to Launch Treatment Programs
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Source: http://trailsmomentum.com/blog/embracing-neurodiversity-and-finding-help-for-young-adults-with-high-functioning-autism

DEFINING TECHNOLOGY ADDICTION IN YOUNG ADULTS: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES, AND TREATMENT OPTIONS

 

Technology addiction is a growing issue amongst young adults and adolescents. Nowadays, it’s nearly impossible to remove ourselves from screens. It can be extremely difficult to perceive when exactly the line is crossed from typical technology use into a full blown technology addiction. In this blog, we’ll discuss what technology addiction in young adults looks like, its effects on young people, and potential treatment options.

 

What does technology addiction in young adults look like?

 

An addiction is a compulsive behavior with ongoing negative effects and consequences that impacts an individual’s ability to live their everyday life. When a teen or young adult is addicted to technology, it affect them on a social, behavioral and physical level.  

 

  • Social and Behavioral Effects

The majority of today’s adolescents and young adults use social media as a means to communicate with one another. On Instagram and Facebook, they are posting images of themselves and status updates where they seek “likes” and “follows” from their peers. Online, you can be anyone you wish to be. You can develop a persona completely different from who you actually are and form pseudo relationships with people you’ve never met in real life. The online world can give young people a false sense of belonging that can wreak havoc on their interpersonal communication skills away from their phones and computers.

 

If technology addicted adolescents and young adults communicate with their friends solely online, it doesn’t allow time for them to practice social skills in the outside world. They feel awkward in real life conversation and don’t engage with others.

The anonymity of the online world also promotes negative behaviors that can go completely unchecked. You can be as aggressive as you want and engage in cyberbullying without any consequences.  

  

  • Physical Effects

When you’re playing video games or when someone “likes” your Instagram post, your brain can release a chemical called “dopamine” associated with feelings of pleasure and happiness. For individuals who are addicted to technology, their bodies get used to a certain level of dopamine at all times. It becomes the new normal for them. In fact, studies have shown that this neurological effect is similar to what is seen in drug addicts and gambling addicts.

 

Treatment For Technology Addiction

 

Unfortunately, there is no easy “fix” for technology addiction. However, there are steps we can take to prevent technology addiction from accelerating and addicted individuals can create ways to cope with their addiction.

 

If you’re concerned that a technology addiction habit might form for you or your child, it’s important to:

  1. Educate yourself about tech addiction and build awareness of negative habits forming.
  2. Be involved in your child’s technology use as early as possible.

 

If you have a young adult who has already formed negative habits related to technology addiction, Trails Momentum can be a good option for your family.

 

Technology Addiction Treatment at Trails Momentum

 

Trails Momentum is a young adult wilderness therapy program for young men and women ages 18-25. From the very beginning of their time at the program, students are completely removed from all technology use. We replace the need for technology with adventure activities and being out in the natural world. Students are away from the distractions and pressure that comes from social media and video games. They are supported on a daily basis by skilled staff members and are introduced to a whole new environment that creates many of the same neurological reactions as technology.

Throughout their time at Trails Momentum, students become aware of the effects technology once had on them and form new, positive hobbies that replace their technology use. Whether we like it or not, technology is unavoidable in our society. Because of this, we help students build an awareness of negative patterns technology use may create for them and form a plan to address the issue if it goes too far.

 

Article Source: https://trailsmomentum.com/blog/defining-technology-addiction-in-young-adults-causes-consequences-and-treatment-options/

 

Additional Source:

Wilderness Therapy
Therapeutic Programs For Young Adults
Wilderness Programs for Young Adults
Failure to Launch Treatment Programs
Technology Addiction Programs For Young Adults