ASD and anxiety

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ASD and anxiety

• Poor social skills
• Lack of support in school
• Teasing and bullying
• Repetitive thoughts
• Heightened sensitivity
• Difficulty understanding emotions

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Anxiety may be overlooked

• Unable to express
• Behaviour may be misleading
• Parent reports
• Assumption that behaviour is part of ASD

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Daslne anxiety survey

• Aims
• Raise awareness
• Understand types of anxiety experienced by young
  people with ASD
• Estimate level of unmet need

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Participants

• Approached 419 families
• Child aged 9 years or older
• Spence Childrens Anxiety Scale Parent
• Where parent agrees
• Spence Childrens Anxiety Scale

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Sample questions

• My child is scared of the dark
• My child cant seem to get bad or silly thoughts
  out of his/her head
• My child suddenly starts to tremble or shake
  when there is no reason for this
• My child has to keep checking that (s)he has
  done things right

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So far

• 212 parents (51)
• 76 children
• Children average age 11 years 9 months
• Responders/non-responders
• No difference in age, autism diagnosis, gender
• More likely if child uses fluent language, and
  some or frequent anxiety reported (Daslne q)

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Level of anxiety
Data on children with anxiety disorder and
community controls, Nauta et al 2004 Behavior
Research and Therapy
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Anxiety differences by school and language level
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Types of anxiety
Data on children with anxiety disorder and
community controls, Nauta et al 2004 Behavior
Research and Therapy
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Which concerns child the most?

• That s/he will do badly at school
• Scared of dogs
• Afraid of being in crowded places
• That s/he will make a fool of him/herself in
  front of people

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Unmet need 44
Had professional help with anxiety in last 12
months yes
no
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Conclusions

• 35 experience anxiety frequently
• Parents report on average similar level to
  children with anxiety disorder
• Parents and children generally agree (r.6)
• Children with better language are more anxious
• Social anxiety is particularly high

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Conclusions

• Need for awareness so problem not overlooked
• Need for access to strategies that help (eg
  self-help books specifically for ASD)
• Need for more child mental health support in
  school and CAMHS
• Groups (eg Exploring Feelings package)
• Individual