Dominican Republic: strategies for undestanding autism
I am wrapping up my last night in Dominican Republic, in support of Proyecto Samy’s initiative to provide support, information and services to people with Autism, families and professionals in Dominican Republic and the USA. This trip has been eye opening, transforming and possible through a full sponsorship from Wellsprings Counseling Center and their counseling missions program. As a bonus, this trip grants me the amazing opportunity to return back to the land that has shaped a major part of my upbringing and experiences as a second-generation Dominican living and working as a mental health professional in the United States .
Part of the trip included a visit to the Instituto de Ayuda al Sordo Santa Rosa, located in the capital, Santo Domingo. This amazing non-profit was founded in 1972 to develop an integral route to social inclusivity for people with hearing impairments within capital, Santo Domingo. This organization is lead by a collective of dedicated Board of Directors, Volunteers, and Administrators motivated to uplift and integrate its student body into Dominican society. What started out as a seedling of an idea has blossomed into a movement that now reaches individuals with hearing impairments, their families, and the professionals that serve them.
The key focus of this trip, however, is in support of Proyecto Samy’s 10th Anniversary conference. This year’s conference addressed strategies and techniques for individuals families and professionals impacted by autism. This year’s panelist included notable U.S. and Dominican-based researchers, practitioners, and family members directly involved with the autism community. The conference covered various topics; including, concepts of autism, understanding psycho-social developmental needs, neurology, strategies for coping with stress, and benefits of adaptive coping strategies.
The conference offered an amazing array of evidenced-based rationals and techniques for unraveling common misconceptions that have historically hindered the understanding and support of individuals with autism and their families. While many details were covered, here are some key take-aways that can support your understanding of autism:
Adaptability is key!:
Supporting an individual with autism requires that family members and professionals identify areas where they can adapt their approaches towards meeting the needs of individuals with autism.
Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is often a co-morbid symptom of Autism, but not all individuals with sensory processing disorder have autism.
Parental burn-out is common amongst parents with children on and off the spectrum
Despite parallels between autism and mental health disorders, autism is a neurologically-rooted disorder.
Neurodivergent is a non-medical term used to describe the neuron-diversity (different cognitive functioning) of individuals with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia etc.
Learn to self-care and check-in with our own expectations and coping strategies in order to be there for others we must learn.
That is, it is important to reflect on our emotions when dealing with stressful situations, as well as how they feelings may impact how we respond to stressful situations.
Coping is not just me care!
Our techniques for dealing with stressful situations are directly tethered to our experiences, along with our fantasies/expectations about family relationships, both as they are and as we expect them to be. In other words, sometimes the best way to support our friends and family is by first making sure we are ok.
Make sure to click on the hyperlinks above to learn more about Proyecto Samy, Institute de Ayuda al Sordo Santa Rosa (institute of help for the hearing impaired), and Wellsprings Counseling Center.