Understanding, Support, and Care for Autism
Compassionate mental health therapy for autistic children, teens, and adults in Ogden, Logan, and Pleasant Grove. Address anxiety, emotional challenges, relationships, and everyday concerns while honoring each person’s unique strengths and needs.
Autism Therapy in Ogden, Logan & Pleasant Grove
Autistic children, teenagers and adults can experience many of the same emotional and mental health challenges as anyone else, including anxiety, depression, stress, family conflict and difficulty managing strong emotions.
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At the same time, autism can affect how a person communicates, processes information, experiences sensory input and responds to social situations.
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Quality Youth Services provides mental health therapy for autistic children, teenagers and adults in Ogden, Logan and Pleasant Grove. Our Harrisville office is just minutes from Ogden, with additional QYS locations in Logan and Pleasant Grove.
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Therapy is not about changing who an autistic person is. Instead, mental health counseling can help individuals address emotional, behavioral and relationship concerns while recognizing their individual strengths, needs and differences.
What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Autism Spectrum Disorder, commonly called autism, is a neurodevelopmental condition.
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Autism can involve differences in areas such as:
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Communication
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Social interaction
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Emotional regulation
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Sensory processing
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Routines
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Interests
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Behavior
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Flexibility
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Executive functioning
The word “spectrum” is important because autism can look very different from one person to another.
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Some autistic people require significant support with everyday activities.
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Others may live independently while experiencing more subtle difficulties involving social interaction, anxiety, sensory sensitivity or emotional regulation.
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There is no single way that autism looks.
Autism Is Not a Mental Illness
Autism itself is not a mental illness.
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It is a neurodevelopmental condition.
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However, autistic individuals may also experience mental health concerns such as:
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Trauma
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Anger
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Emotional regulation difficulties
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Family conflict
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School stress
Mental health therapy can focus on these concerns without treating autism itself as something that needs to be eliminated.
Common Characteristics Associated With Autism
Autistic individuals may experience differences involving:
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Communication
Someone may have difficulty:
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Explaining feelings
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Understanding indirect communication
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Interpreting tone
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Recognizing social cues
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Starting or maintaining conversations
Others may communicate very effectively but still experience challenges in particular social situations.
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Social Interaction
Some autistic people may have difficulty:
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Understanding social expectations
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Making or maintaining friendships
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Joining groups
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Interpreting facial expressions
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Understanding unwritten social rules
This does not mean autistic individuals do not want relationships or meaningful social connections.
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Routines and Change
Predictability can be important for some autistic individuals.
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Unexpected changes may cause:
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Anxiety
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Frustration
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Emotional distress
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Difficulty transitioning
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Behavioral reactions
Sensory Differences
Some people may be especially sensitive to:
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Noise
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Light
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Touch
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Smells
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Clothing textures
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Crowded environments
Others may seek additional sensory input.
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Sensory experiences can strongly affect emotional regulation and behavior.
Autism in Children
Autistic children may experience challenges involving:
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Communication
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Social interaction
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Transitions
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School routines
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Emotional regulation
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Sensory overload
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Friendships
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Behavior
Parents may notice that their child becomes overwhelmed in situations that appear manageable to other children.
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For example, a crowded classroom, unexpected change in routine or loud environment may lead to significant distress.
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Child Therapy may help autistic children develop coping, communication and emotional regulation skills when mental health or behavioral concerns are present.
Autism in Teenagers
Adolescence can create additional challenges for autistic teenagers.
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Teenagers face increasing expectations involving:
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Independence
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Social relationships
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Schoolwork
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Organization
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Future planning
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Dating
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Employment
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Managing emotions
Autistic teens may become increasingly aware that they experience the world differently from their peers.
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This can sometimes contribute to:
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Anxiety
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Low self-esteem
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Depression
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Loneliness
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Social withdrawal
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Family conflict
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School stress
Teen Therapy can provide support for these emotional and everyday challenges.
Autism in Adults
Autistic adults may experience challenges involving:
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Relationships
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Employment
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Social expectations
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Parenting
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Organization
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Stress
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Sensory overload
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Emotional regulation
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Life transitions
Some adults were diagnosed with autism during childhood.
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Others may receive a diagnosis later in life or begin recognizing autistic traits after years of feeling different without understanding why.
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Adult Therapy can address mental health and relationship concerns that affect quality of life.
Autism and Anxiety
Anxiety is an important mental health concern for many autistic individuals.
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Possible sources of anxiety may include:
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Social situations
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Uncertainty
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Unexpected changes
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School
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Work
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Sensory overload
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Communication difficulties
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Fear of making mistakes
An autistic child may become anxious when a school routine changes.
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A teenager may experience significant social anxiety.
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An adult may feel overwhelmed by workplace expectations.
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Mental health therapy can help individuals understand anxiety and develop coping strategies suited to their needs.
Autism and ADHD
Autism and ADHD are different neurodevelopmental conditions, but they can occur together.
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Both can involve difficulties with:
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Executive functioning
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Attention
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Organization
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Emotional regulation
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School
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Daily routines
A person may have autism, ADHD or both.
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Because symptoms can overlap, understanding the individual’s overall pattern of functioning is important.
Autism and Depression
Autistic teenagers and adults may also experience Depression.
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Possible contributing factors may include:
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Social isolation
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Bullying
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Repeated misunderstanding
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Difficulty maintaining relationships
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School difficulties
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Work stress
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Feeling different from peers
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Chronic stress
Signs of depression should not automatically be dismissed as part of autism.
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Changes in mood, withdrawal, motivation or behavior deserve attention.
Autism and Behavioral Problems
What appears to be a Behavioral Problem may sometimes be connected to:
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Sensory overload
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Communication difficulties
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Frustration
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Anxiety
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Unexpected changes
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Difficulty understanding expectations
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Emotional dysregulation
For example, an emotional outburst in a crowded environment may reflect sensory or emotional overload rather than deliberate defiance.
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Understanding what happened before and during the behavior can help identify more effective responses.
Autism and Emotional Regulation
Some autistic individuals have difficulty identifying, expressing or managing strong emotions.
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This can lead to:
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Emotional outbursts
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Shutdowns
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Withdrawal
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Frustration
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Anger
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Difficulty calming down
Therapy may help individuals recognize emotional signals earlier and develop coping strategies that work for them.
Autism and Anger
Autistic individuals may sometimes experience intense frustration or anger.
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Triggers may include:
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Unexpected changes
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Sensory overload
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Communication difficulties
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Feeling misunderstood
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Social stress
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Repeated frustration
When anger begins affecting relationships, school or everyday functioning, counseling may help identify triggers and develop healthier responses.
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Visit our Anger Management page for additional information.
Autism and Family Conflict
Families may experience conflict when parents, siblings or partners interpret autistic behavior differently.
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Common challenges may involve:
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Communication
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Expectations
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Routines
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Independence
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School
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Household responsibilities
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Emotional reactions
Family members may also disagree about how much support someone needs.
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Family Therapy may help families improve communication, clarify expectations and develop more effective ways of supporting one another.
Autism and School Difficulties
School environments can create challenges involving:
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Noise
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Crowds
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Schedule changes
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Social expectations
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Group projects
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Transitions
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Organization
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Academic pressure
Some autistic students perform very well academically while still experiencing significant emotional stress.
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Others may struggle academically because of executive functioning, attention, social or sensory difficulties.
Autism and School Refusal
Some autistic children or teenagers may experience School Refusal.
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Possible contributing factors include:
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Anxiety
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Sensory overload
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Bullying
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Social difficulties
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Academic stress
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Depression
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Difficulty with transitions
School refusal should not automatically be assumed to be defiance.
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Understanding what makes school difficult is important.
How Can Mental Health Therapy Help Autistic Clients?
Therapy should focus on the individual’s specific goals and concerns.
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Depending on the person’s needs, counseling may help with:
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Emotional regulation
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Stress management
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Communication
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Coping skills
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Relationships
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Anger
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Family conflict
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School difficulties
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Self-esteem
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Major life transitions
The goal should be to improve emotional well-being and everyday functioning while respecting the individual’s identity and neurodevelopmental differences.
Autism Therapy for Children
Therapy for autistic children may address:
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Emotional regulation
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Anxiety
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Behavior
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Communication
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Coping skills
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School stress
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Family relationships
Parents or caregivers may also participate when appropriate.
Autism Therapy for Teens
Teen therapy may focus on:
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Friendships
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Social stress
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School pressures
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Emotional regulation
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Family relationships
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Self-esteem
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Independence
Adolescence can be particularly challenging when teenagers are trying to understand themselves and determine where they fit socially.
Autism Therapy for Adults
Adult therapy may address:
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Work stress
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Relationships
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Parenting
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Anxiety
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Depression
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Emotional regulation
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Social difficulties
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Major life transitions
Treatment should be based on the individual’s goals rather than assumptions about what an autistic adult should change.
Family Therapy and Autism
Families may benefit from Family Therapy when autism-related differences are contributing to communication problems or conflict.
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Therapy may help family members:
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Better understand one another
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Improve communication
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Set realistic expectations
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Reduce repeated conflict
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Develop healthier problem-solving strategies
Family therapy can complement individual counseling when appropriate.
What Happens at the First Appointment?
The first appointment typically focuses on understanding:
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Current concerns
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Emotional symptoms
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Behavioral concerns
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Communication
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Family relationships
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School or work functioning
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Anxiety or depression
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Previous treatment
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Strengths
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Goals for therapy
This helps the therapist understand which concerns should be addressed.
Autism Therapy in Ogden — Harrisville Location
Our Harrisville office is just minutes from Ogden and serves individuals and families throughout the greater Ogden and Weber County area.
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Parents and individuals searching for autism therapy in Ogden, an autism therapist near Ogden or mental health counseling for an autistic child or teenager can contact our nearby Harrisville location for current provider availability.
Autism Therapy in Logan
Our Logan location provides mental health counseling for autistic children, teenagers and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, emotional regulation challenges and other concerns.
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The location serves Logan and surrounding Cache Valley communities.
Autism Therapy in Pleasant Grove
Our Pleasant Grove location provides mental health counseling for autistic individuals and families in Pleasant Grove and surrounding Utah County communities.
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Contact QYS for current provider and appointment availability.
Take the Next Step
Autistic children, teenagers and adults may face emotional and mental health challenges that deserve individualized support.
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Counseling can help address anxiety, depression, emotional regulation, behavioral concerns, relationships, school stress and other difficulties while respecting each person’s individual strengths and differences.
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Looking for autism therapy in Ogden, Logan or Pleasant Grove? Contact Quality Youth Services to request an appointment today.