{"id":12690,"date":"2023-04-03T18:32:08","date_gmt":"2023-04-03T13:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/?page_id=12690"},"modified":"2023-05-12T22:16:42","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T16:46:42","slug":"mental-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"12690\" class=\"elementor elementor-12690\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ac374a7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ac374a7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a17f2a8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a17f2a8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8c6a950 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8c6a950\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4d783ec elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4d783ec\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d886fe3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d886fe3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1382326 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1382326\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a699ae2\" data-id=\"a699ae2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3cf9eb elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b3cf9eb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.12.1 - 02-04-2023 *\/\n.elementor-heading-title{padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title[class*=elementor-size-]>a{color:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-small{font-size:15px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-medium{font-size:19px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-large{font-size:29px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xl{font-size:39px}.elementor-widget-heading .elementor-heading-title.elementor-size-xxl{font-size:59px}<\/style><h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Mental Health<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-87759fb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"87759fb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0d4d07b\" data-id=\"0d4d07b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b599d24 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b599d24\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.12.1 - 02-04-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"712\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/ex-5.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-12697\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/ex-5.png 712w, https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/ex-5-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 712px) 100vw, 712px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-58c26f6 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"58c26f6\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8e07df4\" data-id=\"8e07df4\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b50cd3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0b50cd3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Understanding Mental Health Challenges<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c531301 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c531301\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.12.1 - 02-04-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>Challenges with mental health are a common experience for autistic people, with research suggesting that 42% of autistic people will receive a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder and 37% of people will receive a diagnosis of depression during their lifetime (Hollocks et al., 2019). Mental health was also identified by autistic learners in our survey as a key area where educators and support people could increase their knowledge, with 52% of respondents indicating this was an area where more understanding was needed.<\/p><div><div>The mental health challenges that autistic people experience are frequently the result of the stress that comes from being autistic in a world designed for neurotypical people. This means that many of the strategies for meeting autistic learners\u2019 communication, executive functioning, sensory and social needs discussed elsewhere in this guide will also contribute towards creating a learning environment that is supportive of autistic learners\u2019 mental wellness.<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e3e0918 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e3e0918\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fdba0cf\" data-id=\"fdba0cf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cfc90be elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cfc90be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Survey Findings<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e0e805d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e0e805d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Learners who responded to our survey reported that anxiety and burnout were two of the major mental\u00a0health\u00a0issues\u00a0they\u00a0faced during their\u00a0tertiary\u00a0studies.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-573da6e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"573da6e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2e51853\" data-id=\"2e51853\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6a9260f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6a9260f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-medium\">Anxiety and the Autism Connection<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fd654ee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fd654ee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><div>Van Steensel &amp; Heeman (2017) argue that anxiety is an inherent part of the autistic experience. In fact, many of the behaviours that are commonly thought of as symptoms of autism could perhaps be better thought of as strategies for dealing with the anxiety that comes from being autistic in a neurotypical world. For example, stimming helps with regulating emotions like anxiety and routines help to reduce anxiety by providing certainty about what will happen next. Thus, it is important to recognise that even autistic learners without an additional anxiety disorder diagnosis likely experience higher levels of anxiety than their neurotypical peers and deserve supports to help them manage this anxiety.<\/div><div>\u00a0<\/div><div>Exams proved to be a particular source of anxiety for the learners in our survey, with the combination of time pressure, concerns about whether they were interpreting the questions correctly and sensory issues such as fluorescent lights, clicking pens and people sniffing causing such a degree of overwhelm that many learners said they simply froze and were unable to complete large portions of the exam, even if they did understand the material well. For example, one student wrote that \u201cI\u2019m naturally pretty decent at maths and stats but this strength isn\u2019t recognised in formal exams or tests because they stress me the heck out and I can barely even read a sentence in those situations, much less perform simple mathematical calculations.\u201d Further, the exam environment prevented autistic learners from using strategies, like stimming, that they would normally use to regulate their anxiety. This student summed up how time pressure and sensory issues, combined with the inability to use effective calming strategies, created a positive feedback loop that pushed them towards overwhelm:<\/div><div>\u00a0<\/div><div>\u201cMy mind goes completely blank during the exams due to the time pressure and stress. I have to read questions over and over several times before I can understand what they\u2019re asking (these are questions I could usually understand with ease). Additionally, under this kind of stress, my sensory issues are heightened, and I hear every little sound and it becomes very overwhelming. I also cannot stim while doing the exam because it will distract people and draw very unwanted attention to me. Stimming helps me focus and regulate this overwhelm.\u201d<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7e79ce3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7e79ce3\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-27472f8\" data-id=\"27472f8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-054780b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"054780b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-medium\">Burnout<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-945523b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"945523b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Although\u00a0autistic\u00a0burnout\u00a0is\u00a0commonly\u00a0discussed\u00a0amongst\u00a0autistic\u00a0people\u00a0online,\u00a0it\u00a0has\u00a0only\u00a0recently\u00a0come\u00a0to\u00a0the attention\u00a0of researchers, with\u00a0three\u00a0independent studies in the last two years\u00a0seeking\u00a0to\u00a0define it (Higgins et al., 2021; Mantzalas et al., 2022; Raymaker et al., 2020). According to these studies,\u00a0autistic burnout is caused by the stress that autistic people experience from living in a world that is not\u00a0suited to their needs. Autistic people frequently \u2018mask\u2019; that is, hide their autistic traits in order to appear\u00a0neurotypical and move more easily through the world. Masking requires significant effort and burnout\u00a0results when this effort becomes unsustainable. People in autistic burnout experience extreme exhaustion,\u00a0loss of skills and an increase in autistic traits like stimming and sensory sensitivity. Burnout is a significant\u00a0concern\u00a0for autistic\u00a0people:\u00a0it\u00a0is\u00a0often\u00a0chronic,\u00a0with\u00a0people\u00a0experiencing\u00a0multiple\u00a0episodes\u00a0of\u00a0burnout\u00a0across their\u00a0lifespan\u00a0and sometimes never\u00a0fully recovering. It\u00a0is also associated\u00a0with\u00a0suicidal ideation. Whilst it bears similarities to both workplace burnout and depression, the research suggests that these are\u00a0distinct\u00a0experiences, and that depression\u00a0and autistic\u00a0burnout can\u00a0co-occur.<\/p><p>Supports for learners experiencing autistic burnout are particularly important in the tertiary environment,\u00a0as the onset of burnout is often associated with major life changes such as the transition to adulthood\u00a0(Raymaker\u00a0et al., 2020).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fa9111d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fa9111d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6ec2e42\" data-id=\"6ec2e42\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab2b627 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ab2b627\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-medium\">You Can Support Your Learners by:<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ff923b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1ff923b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><strong>Making recordings of all lectures available online. <\/strong>Anxiety and burnout can impact a student\u2019s abilityto attend lectures in person, and lecture recordings are an uncomplicated way to make the material\u00a0accessible\u00a0to\u00a0learners\u00a0who\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0attend\u00a0class\u00a0in\u00a0\u00a0In\u00a0particular,\u00a0Mantzalas\u00a0et\u00a0al.\u00a0(2022)\u00a0note\u00a0that\u00a0a period of withdrawal is often an adaptive response that autistic people use to manage burnout; the\u00a0removal of sensory and social stressors allows people to replenish their energy. Even short periods of\u00a0withdrawal can be helpful (Higgins et al., 2021), and making lecture recordings available allows learners\u00a0to take a break without worrying that they will fall behind in class. Watching lectures from home also\u00a0means that learners can stim freely to help them regulate their emotions and attention. Finally, some\u00a0learners in our survey experienced anxiety because they couldn\u2019t take notes and keep up with what the\u00a0lecturer was saying at the same time. Lecture recordings reduce that anxiety by allowing learners to go\u00a0back and re-watch anything they\u00a0might have missed.<\/li><li><p><strong>Allowing learners to leave class discreetly when needed. <\/strong>Learners in our survey noted that at times they became so overwhelmed by social and sensory stimuli that they simply needed to leave the situation and find somewhere quiet to recover. In these situations, knowing that they can leave class without facing negative repercussions would allow them to proactively care for their mental health.\u00a0<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Allowing <\/strong><strong>learners<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>to<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>use<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>stim<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>toys<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>in<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Stimming is a key strategy that autistic people use to regulate their emotions, with Mantzalas et al. (2022) noting that the ability to stim freely can be protective against burnout. Allowing learners to use non-disruptive stim toys in class is an easy way to support your autistic learners to regulate their own anxiety<\/p><\/li><li><strong>Making accommodations for exams. <\/strong>Exams were a major source of anxiety for the learners in oursurvey, with this anxiety frequently preventing learners from being able to demonstrate what they had\u00a0\u00a0There\u00a0are\u00a0several accommodations that\u00a0can\u00a0be\u00a0made\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0exam\u00a0process to\u00a0reduce\u00a0this anxiety:<ul><li><p>Extra time:\u00a0Many\u00a0learners\u00a0felt that\u00a0extra\u00a0time\u00a0in exams\u00a0would\u00a0help\u00a0them cope\u00a0with\u00a0their anxiety,\u00a0give them time to process the questions and allow them to demonstrate what they actually knew.\u00a0Learners felt that they needed significant extra time, with one student saying that they felt they\u00a0needed \u201chalf as much time again as there is normally, or double. The countdown is terrifying.\u201d It is\u00a0also important that learners are actually able to use the extra time they are given to work on the\u00a0exam: one student was allowed an extra 10 minutes per hour, as well as being able to do the exam\u00a0on a computer &#8211; but because they had to use a university computer that they hadn\u2019t had a previous\u00a0chance\u00a0to\u00a0familiarise\u00a0themself\u00a0with,\u00a0they\u00a0found\u00a0that\u00a0all\u00a0their\u00a0extra\u00a0time\u00a0was\u00a0spent\u00a0getting\u00a0used\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0computer<\/p><\/li><li>A separate room: For many learners, the exam situation heightened their sensory sensitivities, whichthen fed back into their anxiety. Many of these sensory issues were caused by other people (sniffing,\u00a0pens clicking), so allowing learners to sit their exams in a separate room would reduce these issues\u00a0 However, it is important that the room the student takes the exam in is chosen carefully,\u00a0as the rooms themselves could cause sensory issues: \u201cI have often had it that I was in a special\u00a0conditions room that had a really annoying noise and I could literally identify other ADHD\u2019ers based\u00a0on them looking up or their irritability for the same issue.\u201d Learners also said they would appreciate\u00a0the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the exam room ahead of time, as unfamiliar spaces\u00a0could\u00a0be a source of anxiety.<\/li><li>Online, open book exams: One student said that they had \u201cfound it much easier with the university\u2019schange [due to COVID-19] to open-book, online exams, which I can take at home.\u201d These types of\u00a0assessments remove many of the stressors that caused autistic learners to underperform in exams:\u00a0there is no time pressure, learners can manage the sensory stimuli in their environment, and they can\u00a0stim\u00a0freely\u00a0to regulate their\u00a0<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><strong>Being openly accepting. <\/strong>Mantzalas et al. (2022) note that societal acceptance of autistic people helpsto protect against burnout, as it reduces the need for masking. Many of the learners in our survey had negative experiences with lecturers and tutors dismissing their concerns or being unwilling to give people the accommodations that they deserved. For example, one student recounted: \u201cA member of my group project was changing my work to be obviously wrong, and when I went to the senior lecturer about it to figure out a way to resolve it, she decided I was the problem because I\u2019m autistic and put that same person with me for the next four group projects to force us to \u201cwork it out\u201d.\u201d Simply being open to hearing learners\u2019 concerns, accepting that the challenges they face are very real and working with them to find appropriate solutions is an easy way that tertiary educators and staff can support their learners\u2019 mental health.<\/li><li><p><strong>Advocating for better mental health supports to be available on campus. <\/strong>Whilst the learners in our\u00a0survey were able to access counselling support on campus, it often didn\u2019t meet their needs. Learners\u00a0who needed ongoing support sometimes couldn\u2019t access it: \u201cwe only had a limited number of sessions\u00a0with the counsellors at the health centre and so, for those of us with other mental health issues who\u00a0required\u00a0long\u00a0term\u00a0counselling,\u00a0it\u00a0was\u00a0hard\u00a0to\u00a0access\u00a0the\u00a0supports\u00a0we\u00a0needed.\u201d\u00a0Learners\u00a0also\u00a0found\u00a0that on-campus counsellors lacked understanding of autism: one student was laughed at when she\u00a0suggested to a counsellor that she might be autistic. It is incredibly important that autistic people have\u00a0access to counsellors who have a deep understanding of autism, as traditional therapies like cognitive\u00a0behavioural therapy are often less effective in autistic people (Price, 2022). Educators can help to\u00a0support their learners\u2019 mental health by advocating for better mental health supports to be available for\u00a0learners<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fff9826 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fff9826\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0ab20df\" data-id=\"0ab20df\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-81ed3e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"81ed3e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Final Words<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ddaa166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ddaa166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Mental health challenges are unfortunately an all-too-common experience for autistic people, and tertiary\u00a0study can often be a particularly challenging time from a mental health perspective. Thus, it is important to\u00a0proactively offer\u00a0accommodations\u00a0that\u00a0enable learners to look after\u00a0their\u00a0own mental wellbeing<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mental Health Understanding Mental Health Challenges Challenges with mental health are a common experience for autistic people, with research suggesting that 42% of autistic people will receive a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder and 37% of people will receive a diagnosis of depression during their lifetime (Hollocks et al., 2019). Mental health was also identified [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12690"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16135,"href":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12690\/revisions\/16135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aacvirast.com\/accNew\/accvirast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}