A culture of care: The pastoral care of high-functioning ASD students.

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurological brain difference that primarily affects the way the brain receives, processes, and responds to sensory information. A familiar expression in the ASD community is to describe the disorder as a brain that is not "deficient" but "differently wired." Students with high-functioning autism experience challenges in the mainstream schooling environment due to delays or difficulties in two areas of development: social communication and abstract thinking skills. Co-morbidity with anxiety and depression is prevalent, and academic potential can be unfulfilled without adequate extra support. School-age high-functioning autism is diagnosed most commonly when the complex demands of the sensory, social, and academic environment exceed the child's capacity to cope. Therapeutic understanding of ASD is a developing field and thus far there is no "gold standard" approach in clinical treatment. Working with ASD students in a school environment requires a strengths-based, holistic culture of care. In addition to client therapy, school counsellors need to incorporate advocacy, education, connection with family, and strong links to outside services. Drawing on my own experience both as a parent with a 12-year-old ASD son and as a school counsellor, this article considers the clinical expression of ASD in the school setting and then looks at both research-based and practical approaches for enhancing the pastoral care of ASD students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)