Rigid thinking and an aversion to change are hallmarks of Autism. That can present some initial challenges to therapy, which is inherently focused on change. However, this difficulty changing things up can be a major strength.

Consider a huge ocean liner. It requires immense effort for one of these massive ships to change course, and it takes a while for them to get pointed in that new direction. Once they are though, they can maintain that heading with minimal effort.
Similarly, a person with Autism can seem pretty stuck in certain maladaptive thinking patterns. In therapy, with hard work and a bit of time, they can start to shift the direction of their thinking. And once they have achieved a new understanding of something, there is no going back to the old way. No backsliding, just onwards to the next horizon. That’s the beauty of rigid thinking!

In a later blog post, I will write about what it actually takes to turn that ship. Until then, please reach out if you have any questions, comments, or feedback on this post.

-Alex