Internet-delivered Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents With Autism and Anxiety: Development and Evaluation of Learning to Understand and Navigate Anxiety-Adolescent
Baylor College of Medicine
Summary
Anxiety is very common in autistic youth. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the recommended treatment for both autistic and typically-developing (TD) youth with anxiety, yet most families cannot access CBT due to cost, practicalities of attending in-person treatment sessions, and a shortage of trained providers, especially in rural areas. The goal of this project is to increase access to care for families of autistic adolescents with anxiety through an internet-based treatment model.
Description
Autism affects 2-3% of youth, approximately half of whom experience a co-occurring anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders in autistic youth are associated with significant life impairment and worsening trajectory without treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the recommended treatment for both autistic and typically-developing (TD) youth with anxiety, yet most families cannot access CBT due to cost, practicalities of attending in-person treatment sessions, and a shortage of trained providers, especially in rural areas. Access to CBT is particularly limited for Hispanic or Spanish-speaki…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 11–17 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. The child is between the age of 11-17 years old at enrollment. 2. The child is diagnosed with autism using a validated assessment (e.g., Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition (ADOS-2), Childhood Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (CARS-2), etc.). 3. The child has current, clinically significant anxiety and/or OCD as indicated by a clinician-administered standardized assessment (e.g. Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) and Pediatric Rating Anxiety Scale modified for autism (PARS-ASD)). 4. Anxiety disorder…
Interventions
- BehavioralLUNA-Adolescent
Learning to Understand and Navigate Anxiety-Adolescent (LUNA-Adolescent) includes parent-led, internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety among autistic youth.
- BehavioralTreatment as Usual
Treatment as Usual includes 12 weekly sessions of transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety in autistic youth.
Location
- Baylor College of MedicineHouston, Texas