Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety Disorders in Autism: Adapting Treatment for Adolescents
Anxiety Disorders in Youth With Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Anxiety Disorders in Youth With Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified focused on measuring Autism, Anxiety, Asperger's Syndrome, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, Treatment, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Fears
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Outpatient adolescents with ASD (see below) between the ages 11-14 years.
- Meets criteria for a diagnosis of autism, Asperger syndrome (AS), or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified .
- Meets criteria for a diagnosis of one of the following anxiety disorders: separation anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Child has a Full Scale and Verbal Comprehension IQ≥85.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Receiving concurrent psychotherapy, social skills training, or behavioral interventions (e.g., applied behavior analysis). Families will have the option of discontinuing such services to enroll in the study.
- Has started an antidepressant within 12 weeks before study enrollment or an antipsychotic 6 weeks before study enrollment.
- Has changed established psychotropic medications (e.g., antidepressants, anxioloytics) within 8 weeks before study enrollment (6 weeks for antipsychotic).
- Is currently suicidal or has been actively suicidal in the last 6 months.
- Has been diagnosed with bipolar, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders; or Substance abuse in past 6 months.
- Presence of a significant and/or unstable medical illness which might lead to hospitalization during the study.
Sites / Locations
- Univeristy of California at Los Angeles
- University of South Florida
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Placebo Comparator
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Wait-list
The form of treatment will involve 16 weekly meetings of about 90 minutes each. Sessions involve both the child and parent and involve teaching youth how to cope with their anxiety through a variety of behavioral techniques.
A wait-list essentially involves not receiving treatment for a specified period of time (in this case 16 weeks). No active treatment is provided; rather, the family 'waits'.