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Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev (2010) 13:7790
DOI 10.1007/s10567-009-0062-3
Development of a Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention Program to Treat Anxiety and Social Decits in Teens with High-Functioning Autism
Susan W. White Anne Marie Albano Cynthia R. Johnson
Connie Kasari Thomas Ollendick Ami Klin
Donald Oswald Lawrence Scahill
Published online: 22 January 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract Anxiety is a common co-occurring problem among young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Characterized by decits in social interaction, communication problems, and stereotyped behavior and
restricted interests, this group of disorders is more prevalent than previously realized. When present, anxiety may compound the social decits of young people with ASD. Given the additional disability and common co-occurrence of anxiety in ASD, we developed a manual-based cognitive-behavioral treatment program to target anxiety symptoms as well as social skill decits in adolescents with ASD [Multimodal Anxiety and Social Skills Intervention: MASSI]. In this paper, we describe the foundation, content, and development of MASSI. We also summarize data on treatment feasibility based on a pilot study that implemented the intervention.
Keywords Autism Anxiety Social skills
Adolescence Intervention Therapy
Introduction
Autistic Disorder, Aspergers Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specied (PDDNOS) represent a heterogeneous group of neurodevelop-mental conditions that share a common underlying decit in social competence. In the last decade, scientic interest in treatment approaches for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) has risen considerably, due largely to heightened public awareness and increased rates of identication (US CDC 2007). The need for advances in the development of effective psychosocial treatments for ASD has been identied (Smith et al. 2007). When present, problems with anxiety may intensify the social and functional impairment experienced by adolescents with ASD (see Myles et al. 2001). No available treatment programs, however, target both the core social decits and associated problems with anxiety that frequently occur in adolescents with ASD.
S. W. White (&) T. Ollendick
Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 109 Williams Hall (0436), Blacksburg, VA 24061, USAe-mail: [email protected]
A. M. AlbanoDepartment of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, Room 2413 Unit/Box:741051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA
C. R. JohnsonUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Departmentsof Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Autism Center 3420 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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