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let's get started. Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Autism-A-D- ADHD podcast. Today I'm talking about rigidity. Now, autistic

children and teens may appear rigid for a few different reasons. So we're going to talk about the

reasons and then also talk about how we can help. So these kids, they often feel stuck in an idea

and can have a very specific way of doing things.

And sometimes they will let you know what they're thinking.

And sometimes parents and educators are kind of left gassing.

So we're going to talk first again about a few reasons behind why rigidity may occur.

A big reason for rigidity is anxiety. Imagine that you have very limited control over your life.

You have very limited opportunity to make any choices. You don't know what's

going to happen next and you don't know what people are going to do or expect from you.

That sounds confusing and honestly kind of terrifying to me. When people don't have any control, they experience anxiety.

When they experience anxiety, they try to control more and plan as much as possible.

Predictability and sameness can really be comforting for autistic kids.

And routines and structured environments can help decrease this anxiety because the child knows

what to expect.

When something happens that is unexpected, it's likely a child shows more rigidity. And again, that goes back to anxiety.

Executive functioning differences can sometimes play a part too. In this rigidity, difficulty in

planning, organizing, and shifting attention can make it harder for children to adapt to these changes in routine

or tasks. This can also lead to rigid behavior.

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