The Master Level Counselor
A Master level counselor has a masters degree in either psychology or counseling. They may be able to do an initial assessment if they have the appropriate training.
Advantages:
- Is able to provide counseling, behavior management, and problem solving
- Less expensive than psychiatric care
Disadvantages:
- May have trouble with a differential diagnosis
- Will need to refer patient to a doctor or other professional
- Cannot prescribe medication
How Can Social Workers Help People With Autism
A social worker that specialises in autism is often employed by a government agency, disability agency or self-help group to provide assistance and support to parents, children and adults with autism.
Social workers are trained in complex problem solving, as well as counselling, monitoring wellbeing and family support.
If you suspect you or someone you love has autism, or if you are undergoing the early stages of assessment, the diagnostic process can be challenging, as such its important to seek support where possible.
Social workers operate as a trusted friend or family member might assisting you with filling out forms and paperwork, advocating on your behalf with doctors and specialists, seeking out information, and putting you in touch with specialist agencies and services.
Social workers offer a broad range of services to people with autism and parents and carers of autistic children, including:
Undertaking personal and family counselling, or arranging therapy services through a relevant professional.
InformationAccumulating and presenting easy to understand information about relevant support services and options.
CoordinationHelping you or your family to coordinate various specialists and health professional appointments, arranging travel and accommodation and managing care and respite.
AdvocacyActing as a personal representative and counsel for you or your family when dealing with complex government and community services.
Diagnosis Of Autism And Co
Many of the young people in the study had multiple needs in relation to their autism and were often assigned to learning disability or mental health services. While social workers in learning disability services were well equipped to respond to their needs, sometimes a young persons autism was overshadowed by their learning disability diagnosis.
This was even more prevalent where the young adult also had mental health conditions, with mental health services not always fully understanding, or catering to, their needs relating to their autism. This sometimes led to a misunderstanding about the root cause of behaviours of concern and even misdiagnosis.
Upon reflection and conversations with practitioners, the chief social workers felt that stand-alone autism services integrated with health and care services could include specialist clinical staff and social workers. This could lead to more creative and personalised service development as well as earlier access to sensory reviews and support to improve living environments.
Where there was a jointly produced care plan between health services and social workers, this led to positive outcomes for young adults and their families.
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What Every New Social Worker Needs To Know About Dsm
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Diagnosis
There are a lot of changes in the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that have social workers talking. Some of the revisions are seen as positive. However, there are several that are raising concern among clinicians.
I have presented dozens of workshops on the DSM-5 and have trained thousands of clinicians in its use. In these workshops, I’ve been able to pick up on a few changes that have raised some eyebrows among participants.
People have told me that they are overwhelmed, confused, and even a bit disoriented by all the changes. They have some anxiety with the upcoming conversion to the DSM-5 and the many ways it will affect them as they diagnose people, and the major adjustments that agencies will need to make to adapt.
I’ll share with you three of the areas that arouse the most passionate responses from people.
No More Multiaxial System
The change that has been universally upsetting to people in my workshops is the loss of the multiaxial system.
We started using five axes to formulate a diagnosis when the DSM-III-R came out in 1987. Ever since then, weve had five main pieces of information that made up our diagnostic impression.
Those five aspects of a diagnosis are no longer going to be listed in the diagnostic description. Instead, diagnoses will just be recorded in a list, with the principle diagnosis being listed first, and others following in order of importance to treatment.
How To Deal With Autism In Adults
Adults with ASD have certain traits which make life difficult for them. They are different.
Which makes it challenging for them to get through their daily life without struggles. But there are ways to work with adults with autism to ensure they receive the best treatment possible.
If you are working with an adult with autism, the first thing to do is to learn and educate yourself about ASD. This will eliminate conflicts in the work environment by minimizing misunderstandings.
Autism causes issues in the individuals communication. Adults with autism who are high-functioning can speak fluently with high level of vocabulary.
But those on the lower part of the spectrum may be non-verbal or may only use sounds to communicate. Make sure that you give these adults sufficient amount of time to communicate and dont force the communication.
Autistic adults may not be able to understand nuances or wordplays while communicating. Try to avoid sarcasm and keep your sentences short and concise.
Sensory overload is a huge problem for individuals with autism. They get overwhelmed with the stimuli in their environment. You may find the situation you are in comfortable, while they get extremely overwhelmed. They do not enjoy certain common physical gestures like hugging or pats on the back. Try to respect and understand their desire for personal space.
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Education And School Planning
At school, a plan can be made to support and structure your childs learning. A committee identifies the needs of exceptional students. When they have identified these needs, they create a plan with help from the student and their parents or guardian. This is called an individual education plan .
Support at school should include behavioural, social and academic approaches. A team of professionals usually puts the plan together based on the child’s strengths and weaknesses. It may include solutions such as:
- various therapies
- opportunities to interact with peers
Evaluation Of An Adult For Autism
There is no standard diagnostic criteria for adults who are suspected to have autism.
But because of the increased awareness and advancement of technology, more and more adults are now being diagnosed.
Clinicians primarily diagnose adults with autism through observations and interactions in-person.
The person also states their symptoms if they are experiencing any.
The first step to take in this evaluation is to consult your family doctor.
Your family doctor will evaluate you to rule out any other underlying physical illness that may be causing the behaviors.
If they find anything relating to autism, they will refer you to a psychiatrist or a psychologist to conduct an in-depth assessment.
The clinician will be asking the adult about their communication, behavioral patterns, interests, emotions, routines and more.
They will also ask the patient about their childhood and experiences. The clinician will also talk to the parents and other family members to get a clearer idea of the behaviors.
It could be a challenge to find a professional who will diagnose adults since most diagnoses are made in children.
However, there are resources you can access if you suspect that you may be on the autism spectrum, like going to an autism center in your area.
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Degree And Education Requirements
Becoming a bachelors social worker requires a four-year bachelors degree.Becoming a masters social worker requires bachelors and masters degrees. To become a licensed clinical social worker, you must have a masters degree. Youll also need two years of clinical training under the supervision of a senior clinical social worker. A college degree program in social work provides students with the training and knowledge needed to begin working in their communities immediately after college. A masters degree qualifies a social worker to take on more responsibility than a bachelors social worker. Additional training and certification is needed to become a licensed clinical social worker.
How Social Workers Can Impact The Life Of A Child With Autism
Children with autism display a wide spectrum of symptoms, not all of which fit a pattern. In recent times, social workers have taken on a greater role in dealing with kids who have special needs and autism is at the top of the list. For those who want a Masters in Social Work from universities such as Rutgers with a long history within the department, it is possible to get an online social work Masters degree while working with kids who are most in need of their services. Here are just a few of the ways in which social workers have taken center stage in dealing with these children who need them most:
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Supporting Autism Families: Meet Our New Social Worker
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One of the unique services we provide here at Healing Haven is counseling for a variety of people impacted by an autism diagnosis. Our counselors support autism families through working directly with individuals with autism, as well as their parents and siblings.
Navigating an autism diagnosis can be complex for parents, as well as for some children and teens who feel different compared to their peers. Some may also struggle with social skills and interacting with others, or need help in understanding and controlling their emotions. We did a previous post on counseling and autism, featuring our onsite therapist Danielle. And now we are excited to announce the newest addition to our team, Mallory Meter. Mallory is a social worker who started providing counseling services for autism families here at Healing Haven in September 2019.
Mallory worked in the Chicago area for the past four years. She has aBachelors of Arts from the University of Notre Dame where she majored inpsychology. She then received her Masters of Social Work from The School ofSocial Service and Administration at University of Chicago.
In preparation for her transition here to Healing Haven, we sat down with Mallory to get to know her better. Learn about her experience and approach to therapy, and how she might support you and/or your child:
HH: Why did you want to work with kids with autism / special needs?
HH: What motivates you coming to work every day?
Social Work And Autism: Are You Getting The Support You Need
The role of social work in the lives of autistic people and their families in England was recently examined in a study by the Chief Social Workers for Adults and the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families.
The study was conducted to have a better understanding and oversight of three key areas in the context of social work practice with autistic people:
- how responsive social workers were to the needs of young adults and their families
- what barriers there were to enable more effective interventions
- how things could be done differently to improve outcomes.
This was because despite a raft of legislation, regulations, and guidance, public services dont always offer the support that families need, and at the time they most need it.
The analysis led to a series of recommendations based on conversations with families and practitioners as well as the findings from the care experiences they reviewed.
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Speech And Language Therapy
People with ASD may need help with communication skills. Some are very vocal while others may not speak at all.
Knowing many words does not mean that someone with ASD can communicate in a way that is easily understood. And knowing only a few words may mean that someone with ASD communicates in their own way.
Some people with ASD are well spoken when talking about their favourite topic. However, they may be unable to communicate effectively in other areas.
A speech-language therapist can help people understand and use words to:
- ask for help
- look at books and tell stories
- start, stop or take turns in a conversation
A speech-language therapist can also help people understand and use gestures to communicate. They may:
- work directly with the person using a personalized program
- teach the family, caregivers or teachers helpful skills
Recognising Individuals Strengths And Empowering Them
As a spectrum of conditions, autism impacts uniquely on each individual. This may be visualised as a continuum at one end, individuals need minimal support whilst others at the other end of the continuum, may need high levels of care. However, it is recognised that autistic adults have strengths for instance autistic adults involved in the development of this Capabilities Statement identied their strengths as: creativity, understanding and adhering to routines, knowing detail, ability to occupy themselves through routinised leisure activities, and awareness of stimuli within their immediate environment.
Therefore, social workers should operate within strengths-based approaches, starting from the position that autistic adults have abilities.
The focus should be on individuals strengths and abilities and not decits. However social workers should also recognise that the strengths gained from autism can result in each autistic adult needing specic assistance, depending on contexts such as their personality and family circumstances . Social workers should therefore involve autistic adults in identication of their strengths.
The above also involves supporting and empowering autistic people to maximise their ability to identify their life choices and to make decisions about all aspects of their lives. These include routine activities and life-changing events .
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Social Work And Autism
There are 16,000 registered social workers in adult social care services and 29,000 in childrens social care services. A further 2,500 work in the NHS, primarily in mental health services.
Social workers involved in an autistic persons care have a duty to promote their human rights, safety, and wellbeing, assess their needs and help facilitate access to the right services. Their role is to ensure that people who need care and support receive that help in a way that enables them to have a voice, stay safe and live fulfilling lives.
In adult social care, autistic adults may typically be supported by social workers in learning disability or mental health services. Many local areas have established dedicated disability services that work with children and young people from birth to 25 years, with the specific aim of ensuring that families experience a smooth journey from the early years right through to adolescence and towards adulthood.
The study focused on 61 autistic children and young people, split across the four local authorities between June 2019 and September 2019. The identity of the participating LAs will remain anonymised.
Responding To The Sensory And Communication Needs
Many people on the autism spectrum have diculty processing everyday sensory information. Any of the sensesmay be over- or under-sensitive, or both, at dierent times. These sensory dierencescan aect behaviors, and can have a profound eect on a persons life.
Some of the autistic adults involved in developing this Capabilities Statement advised that they have heightened sensory awareness, and this can cause discomfort or pain for example the sound of hand dryers, smell of perfumes, the sounds of shoes clipping on the oor. Diculties in sensory processing may mean that an autistic adult has a strong revulsion to some stimuli, or that they continuously seek some sensations to full their sensory needs. Sensory diculties may also be caused by alterations to environment that autistic adults are used to for example, dierent meeting venues or unfamiliar settings . Unaddressed sensory needs can profoundly impact an autistic adult for instance they may lead to display of behaviors dicult to manage people may become overwhelmed and cannot control their actions – or diculties in verbal communication.
Social workers should understand peoples sensory needs by asking them and professionals involved in their care.
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Experience Of School And Of Education Health And Care Plans
Social work involvement in the development of education, health and care plans was varied across the care experiences reviewed and the study found that there was sometimes an overreliance on schools to support children and families, which eventually led to untimely social work intervention at the crisis point.
It found that social workers tended to be more actively involved when a child was in need, looked after, or on a Child Protection Plan.
The paper recommended that social workers should support opportunities to work together with all parties and ensure all the ways to support the child in school are fully explored as strong, skilled social work involvement ensured a strong social care focus in the development of EHCPs.
The Role Of A Speech Language Pathologist
While it is possible to study a degree as a speech-language pathologist, social workers have increasingly been effective in assisting children to learn to speak even when they suffer with severe disability. The social worker communicates with the child they are in tune with non-verbal language that can give clues to what that child is saying or trying to say. For this reason, a significant portion of the course work taken to become a social worker focuses on communication skills.
Families with autistic children know just how hard it is to get the help they need for their beloved family member. Yes, there are medical professionals who have been trained to work with autistic children, but they also need trained social workers ensure the child has access to all the support and services they need. No one can say for sure why there are so many new cases of autism but if there is a way to help sufferers thrive in with general society, it is the social worker who can have a very real impact. Thats a fact.
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