Social Skills and Anxiety Reduction Treatment for Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Condition: Autistic Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive
MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Developmental Disabilities
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 1

Summary: 
      This study will develop and test a treatment aimed at reducing anxiety in social situations
      for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.
    

Detailed description: 
      Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are developmental disorders with similar features, including
      problems communicating, problems interacting socially, and the presence of routines or
      repetitive behaviors. These disorders can have a range of severities. They include autistic
      disorder, Asperger's syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified
      (PDD-NOS). In addition to their core impairment in social functioning, children and
      adolescents with ASDs often have anxiety about social interactions, which compounds their
      difficulties and can limit the benefits of treatment. This study will develop and test a
      treatment program for developing social skills and reducing anxiety in children and
      adolescents with ASDs.

      Participation in this study will last 12 to 14 weeks, with follow-up visits occurring 3 and
      12 months after that. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the treatment program
      either immediately or after being on a wait list. The treatment program will consist of 12 to
      14 weekly individual therapy sessions that teach children and adolescents about ASDs, use
      cognitive-behavioral interventions to address problematic thinking and acting, deliver social
      skills instruction, and give opportunities to practice skills-including some practice outside
      the clinic in naturalistic settings. Every 2 weeks, starting at Week 4, children and
      adolescents will also attend group sessions to discuss strategies and practice social skills.
      Parents of the participants will be included at the end of each individual session for
      several minutes. After the participants assigned to immediate treatment complete the program,
      participants from the wait list will be offered the treatment.

      Child and adolescent participants and their parents will complete assessments at baseline,
      midpoint in treatment, post-treatment (Week 12 or 14), and 3- and 12-month follow-ups.
      Participants assigned to the wait list condition will complete assessments only at baseline,
      before entering treatment (Week 12 or 14), and after completing treatment. Assessments will
      involve questionnaires about social and emotional functioning, interviews with study
      researchers, and surveys on satisfaction with the study. The child or adolescent's primary
      teacher will also complete questionnaires about the child.
    

Intervention name(s): Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 12 to 14 weekly sessions of individual CBT and parent training with 5 sessions of group counseling every other week
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Autism; Anxiety; Autism Spectrum Disorders with Comorbid Anxiety