AUTISM & ANXIETY

Understanding the Relationship Between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anxiety

Presented by: Patricia Cleinmark, S.S.P

CSP 662 Student: Adriana Damian

When I saw the title of this presentation at NASP, one of my students came to mind. My student is high functioning and has autism. He's demonstrated OCD-like behaviors in the past such as tapping his pencil on the table after writing three letters down and repeating numbers in the 10's family (e.g., 10, 20, 30) two times when counting numbers sequentially. This current school year my coworkers and I noticed that he's developed other behaviors. I thought that perhaps anxiety was playing a role in his new behaviors, and so, I attended this presentation with him in mind. 

This presentation was her doctoral thesis. Therefore, I think it's important to know some background information to understand why and how she applied her knowledge in school settings. The data she collected was made possible by the Interactive Autism Network. For more information: https://www.ianresearch.org

The objectives of this presentation were:

·      Learn about the comorbidity between ASD and anxiety.

·      Learn which subscales on the Social Responsiveness Scale are most predictive of anxiety.

·      Will understand what assessment and treatment implications these findings suggest.

Hypothesis 

Children with anxiety would experience ASD symptoms differently than children without anxiety.  

Results

Individuals with ASD and comorbid anxiety endorse more frequent or severe ASD symptoms than those without anxiety. 

Implications

Communication difficulties are related to anxiety and lower social skills are related to anxiety symptoms in those with ASD.

School Setting Application

Tier 1

Screening: Screen kids with autism for anxiety

Prevention: Communication with families: what works at home for anxiety? Providing opportunities for success, predictable routines in classrooms, and relaxation strategies used class-wide. WHY? To limit the worsening of symptoms.

* I think that the Tier 1 level intervention is generally appropriate for all ages, gender, and grade level. I think that the prevention aspect builds a necessary bridge between the home and school environment. My only concern is that there may be a difference in how easy it is to implement the prevention techniques in a general vs. special education class at any grade level.

Tier 2/3

Targeted small group/individual services: Social skills training, consultation with teachers, clear goals, practice skills across a variety of settings, support during unstructured times, allow for breaks, teach self regulation (thermometer).

* Although consultation with teachers is helpful across age, gender, and grade level, the techniques for self regulation may have to be adapted according to the age and grade level of the student. 

Ex. of thermometer: 

CBT: Some tips from the presenter when using CBT therapy are consistent sessions, visual supports, social narratives.

Ex. of social narrative:

Notes/Comments from the presenter: Those with anxiety seem to be aware of their limitations. A child can carry a card with a strategy and be reminded of what to do. For example, if a child has social anxiety and walks to the playground they can look at their card and remind themselves to take a deep breath. 

Ex. of strategy card: