Anxiety
Contents
Anxiety
Description
Anxiety related concerns are some of the most common problems for school-age children and adolescents with ASD. Debilitating anxiety affects anywhere from 11-84% of children with ASD, with the most common estimates between 40-45%. Anxiety is a separate comorbid condition rather than a core deficit. Those with ASD may have increased risk for anxiety during adolescence when the teen becomes more aware of his social disability while wanting to form peer relationships. As a result, secondary mood and anxiety problems may develop particularly for those who are higher functioning. 1
Causes
Connections with Autism
Recent evidence supports a relationship between social impairment and anxiety in people with ASD, though the precise relationship is not known. One possibility is that physiological hyperarousal and social deficits interact which predicts social anxiety development in children with ASD. This implies that there are biological and psychosocial causes which link anxiety and the ASD social core deficit. Social anxiety leads to decreased opportunities to practice social skills and the teen may purposefully avoid peers because of past social difficulties. 1
Treatments
Since suffering from anxiety intensifies social problems for those with ASD, treatment that can reduce anxiety as well as promote social skill development could be very helpful for those with ASD.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the current most common treatment for mood/anxiety disorders. Recently, a new intervention, the Multimodal Anxiety and Social Skills Intervention which is aimed at targeting both social defects and anxiety disorders in those with ASD has been developed.1
References
1. White SW et. al. Development of a cognitive-behavioral intervention program to treat anxiety and social deficits in teens with high-functioning autism.Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev. 2010 Mar;13(1):77-90. PMID 20091348
