Anxiety is very common in autistic youth. Recently, an intervention has been created by the investigators to target these symptoms in autistic youth in a community setting. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of implementing this treatment in community care centers.
As many as 50% of autistic youth have at least 1 anxiety disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for autistic youth is effective at treating anxiety, but access is limited. The investigators have tailored the treatment to make it more accessible to families in the participants' home communities. The purpose of this project is to investigate how feasible it is to implement Community-Based Anxiety Programs Tailored for Autism (CAPTA) in community settings.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
60
Participants will receive cognitive behavioral therapy with elements of exposure in order to target anxious behaviors.
Participants will receive treatment as usual at a community mental health center, including receiving skills training.
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States
Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale - ASD
Clinician-rated child anxiety severity throughout the past week. Each item is scored on a 0 to 5 scale (higher scores correspond to greater severity), yielding a total between 0 and 35. This measure has been modified for autistic youth
Time frame: baseline (before treatment), during treatment (on average 14 weeks), post-treatment (last week of treatment), 3 month follow up
Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-IV) with Clinical Severity Ratings
Clinician-rated diagnostic interview that includes current anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and related disorders. Each diagnostic category is coded as present or absent based on symptom criteria and clinical severity ratings (CSRs), which indicate the level of clinical interference. CSRs are scored on a 0-8 scale (0 = not at all; 8 = very, very much). CSRs of 4 or above indicate the clinical levels.
Time frame: baseline (before treatment), during treatment (on average 14 weeks), post-treatment (last week of treatment), 3 month follow up
Clinical Global Impression-Improvement
Clinician-rated child psychopathology severity rating. A single item is scored 0-6 (0= very much improved; 6= very much worse).
Time frame: baseline (before treatment), during treatment (on average 14 weeks), post-treatment (last week of treatment), 3 month follow up
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