How do you target comorbid diagnoses with ASD?

Comorbid diagnoses that our team has worked with include ADHD, anxiety, depression, dyspraxia, and feeding challenges. We look at all behavior as communication, so our goal is to set up the environment to benefit the learner, whatever their learning challenges may be. It's important to rule out extraneous causes of physical or emotional pain, as they inhibit a positive learning mindset. Here are a few examples of how we may address some comorbid diagnoses:

• A child with dental pain is likely not the best candidate for a feeding intervention until treated by a dentist.

• A child who experiences anxiety may benefit from mindfulness practices which teach them how to pay more attention and be more aware of their feelings.

• ADHD is often characterized by impulsivity. Teaching youth distress tolerance skills can help them cope with urges where they want to escape, act on, or avoid emotional experiences without thinking it through first.

How will having a comorbid diagnosis impact sessions?

For many comorbid diagnoses, we happily collaborate with other service providers/professionals, including doctors, psychologists, counsellors SLPs and OTs to align their goals with your child's home program.

While additional diagnoses may impact learning more, the goals of teaching are still the same. We break down skills into smaller parts to achieve a larger outcome. Results depend more so on the frequency of sessions, how much the family is involved, and consistency across environments, rather than the number of diagnoses.