A randomised controlled trial of a CBT intervention for anxiety in children with Asperger syndrome.

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief CBT intervention for anxiety with children diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS). A second interest was to evaluate whether more intensive parent involvement would increase the child's ability to manage anxiety outside of the clinic setting. METHODS Seventy-one children aged ten to twelve years were recruited to participate in the anxiety programme. All children were diagnosed with AS and the presence of anxiety symptoms was accepted on parent report via brief interview. Children were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: intervention for child only, intervention for child and parent, wait-list control. RESULTS The two intervention groups demonstrated significant decreases in parent-reported anxiety symptoms at follow-up and a significant increase in the child's ability to generate positive strategies in an anxiety-provoking situation. There were a number of significant differences between the two interventions to suggest parent involvement as beneficial. CONCLUSIONS The sample of children with AS in this study presented with a profile of anxiety similar to a sample of clinically diagnosed anxious children. The intervention was endorsed by parents as a useful programme for children diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and exhibiting anxiety symptoms, and active parent involvement enhanced the usefulness of the programme. Limitations of the study and future research are discussed.

[1]  B. Shaw,et al.  Cognitive-behavioral group treatments in childhood anxiety disorders: the role of parental involvement. , 1999, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[2]  P. Kendall,et al.  Children and Adolescents in Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy: Some Past Efforts and Current Advances, and the Challenges in Our Future , 2003, Cognitive Therapy and Research.

[3]  Liza Little,et al.  MIDDLE-CLASS MOTHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF PEER AND SIBLING VICTIMIZATION AMONG CHILDREN WITH ASPERGER'S SYNDROME AND NONVERBAL LEARNING DISORDERS , 2002, Issues in comprehensive pediatric nursing.

[4]  P. Bolton,et al.  The CAST (Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test) , 2002, Autism : the international journal of research and practice.

[5]  Brenda Smith Myles,et al.  Asperger Syndrome , 1999 .

[6]  L. Wing,et al.  Asperger's syndrome: a clinical account , 1981, Psychological Medicine.

[7]  S. Bryson,et al.  The Prevalence of Anxiety and Mood Problems among Children with Autism and Asperger Syndrome , 2000 .

[8]  S. Hepburn,et al.  Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder in a Child with Asperger Syndrome , 2003, Autism : the international journal of research and practice.

[9]  T. Attwood.  Frameworks for behavioral interventions. , 2003, Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America.

[10]  S. Channon,et al.  Real-Life-Type Problem-Solving in Asperger's Syndrome , 2001, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[11]  R. Rapee,et al.  Family treatment of childhood anxiety: a controlled trial. , 1996, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[12]  J. Berman,et al.  Is psychotherapy more effective when therapists disclose information about themselves , 2001 .

[13]  U. Frith,et al.  The neuropsychology of autism. , 1996, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[14]  M. Sigman,et al.  Understanding of simple and complex emotions in non-retarded children with autism. , 1992, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[15]  A. Gilchrist,et al.  Social and Psychiatric Functioning in Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome Compared with Conduct Disorder , 2000, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[16]  R. Rapee,et al.  A parent-report measure of children's anxiety: psychometric properties and comparison with child-report in a clinic and normal sample. , 2004, Behaviour research and therapy.