If I was told to choose four categories that greatly impact quality of life, I’d pick the following four (SPEC):
1. Social Emotional Health
2. Physical Health
3. Executive Functioning abilities
4.Communication Abilities
Current research is slowly finding how these four categories all interrelate. But for the meantime, I can speak from my own experiences that when I am feeling strong and healthy (physical health), I am more likely have a growth mindset when up against challenges, as well as seek out opportunities to socialize as result of having increased confidence in myself (communication abilities & social-emotional health). Not only that, but when I feel emotionally regulated and openly express my needs, then my work and relationships also flourish (executive functioning abilities, social-emotional health, and communication abilities).
Each category feeds off of the other. So in theory, if you improve one area, then you’ll be supporting another area too!
As a speech language pathologist and a certified autism fitness instructor, I realized I would be doing a great disservice if I stopped only at my speech pathology credential. I know that communication abilities are only one piece of the puzzle to improving quality of life.
Research has found that individuals with autism and ADHD struggle greatly with confidence and self-esteem and are at a higher risk of developing depression. To add to this, self-awareness and developing strategies on the four identified categories, requires higher order thinking skills (metacognition), often an area of challenge for individuals who are neurodiverse. This means that the areas that impact quality of life, are much harder to maintain for someone who is neurodiverse. It does not come as naturally.
In reality, how you communicate and how many people you interact with, don’t truly impact your quality of life. Instead, your ability to make meaningful connections and your belief about yourself are what impact your quality of life. In summary, your self-esteem and confidence impact your quality of life.
Thankfully self-esteem is something that can be built with a little work in the four areas that impact it.
Let’s briefly define these four categories and identify some general challenges that may arise:
1. Social Emotional Health
The ability to identify, regulate, and express one’s needs and emotions
The ability to form secure relationships
Independence in identifying tools to help regulate emotions
Highly individualized as it occurs within the context of one’s family, community and cultural background
Challenges from delayed development:
Troubles forming meaningful, stable connections
Increased risk of academic challenges
Increased risk of disobeying laws and regulations
Trouble showing empathy and compassion towards others
Increased challenges coping with life’s challenges
Activities to develop social-emotional health:
Practice identifying facial expressions & labeling emotions
Example “I can see that you are angry by this decision. Let’s talk about what happened”
Complete 5 minutes of writing or drawing a day
Role playing and modeling showing empathy
Identifying tools to increase self-regulation: breathing, meditating, calm music, walking away
Provide opportunities to increase autonomy. Example: “would you like apples or oranges for snack” (Providing choices are a great way to increase autonomy!)
2. Physical Health
The ability to move through one’s daily living activities with as much independence as possible and as safely as possible
Strength, mobility, stabilization, motor coordination, proprioceptive awareness (body awareness)
Provides opportunities to socialize and meet new people through sports and club activities in the community
Challenges from delayed development:
Increased risk of obesity
Increased risk of diabetes and other related health concerns
Decreased independence in daily living activities
Increased risk of safety
Decreased opportunities to be an active participate in their community
Activities to develop physical health
Encourage walking 5 minutes a day (gradually build this up)
Incorporate interests (e.g., Wii Video Games)
Incorporate a reward system (e.g., 15 minutes of activities = 10 minutes of video games)
Make it fun: play games like obstacle courses and family/friend competitions
Sign up for a 5k walking event
Track progress
Model an active lifestyle
3. Executive Functioning Abilities
The ability to plan, organize, and prioritize our thoughts and materials
Ability to:
Regulate emotions
Stay on task
Understand different points of view
Self-monitor and self-motivate
Show cognitive flexibility to sudden changes in schedules
Impacts working memory and problem solving abilities
Challenges from delayed development:
Following directions
Meeting short and/or long term goals
Organizing materials and setting schedules
Troubles controlling emotions or impulses
Prioritizing to-do lists
Paying attention and staying focused
Completing assignments, turning them in on time, etc.
Activities to develop executive functioning abilities
Buy a personal planner to fill out each week
Use Color coding to organize binders/materials
Identify tools to regulate emotions (e.g., breathing exercises, walking away, drawing, etc.)
Identify triggers of intense emotions
Teach prioritization of activities
Set timers, use visuals, make color coded schedules, etc.
Provide opportunities to follow directions: “Pick up your socks and then brush your teeth”
4. Communication Abilities
Receptive (understanding) and Expressive language abilities
Pragmatics/social language abilities
Maintain a conversation, staying on topic, initiating a conversation
Perspective taking
Tone of voice/volume
Understanding jokes and making appropriate jokes
Showing and expressing empathy
Speech/articulation and intelligibility
Challenges from delayed development:
Expressing thoughts and needs
Making meaningful relationships
Increased self-isolation
Increased academic challenges
Decreased occupational opportunities
Activities to develop communication abilities
Practice role playing conversations (e.g., greetings, topic maintenance and asking questions or making comments, ending a conversation)
Sign up for clubs or small friend groups to increase opportunities
Model appropriate tone of voice and model inappropriate tone of voice (practice!)
Watch wordless videos and identify facial cues, create dialogues
Read, read, read!
Okay, so now what do we do with all of this information? We get to work! We find ways to incorporate building these skillsets into daily living. Try using some the activities I suggested, but the list is truly endless! :)
*SpeakEZ was founded in order to promote the development and growth of these four categories. In order to fully support a client, it’s important to also understand and respect their daily living activities, goals, and challenges.
