None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
We are investigating the use of a parent-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program for treating anxiety difficulties in children aged four to six with Asperger’s Syndrome/High Functioning Autism. Parent-based CBT programs offer an alternative to traditional child-based CBT programs which may be too intellectually demanding for children under the age of seven. Moreover, parent-based CBT programs have be found to effective in treating anxiety in young neuro-typical children and older children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The design is between groups, repeated measures RCT in which parents will be assigned to one of two conditions: treatment or waitlist control. It is hypothesized that from pre- to post- treatment children of parents in the CBT group, compared to children of parents in the waitlist control group, will demonstrate a significantly greater improvement in emotional awareness and a significantly greater reduction in anxiety. Additionally, it is hypothesized that from pre- to post- treatment, parents in the CBT group, compared to parents in the waitlist group, will demonstrate a greater reduction in parenting stress and parenting distress as well as a greater improvement in parental self-efficacy and parental satisfaction. Finally, it is hypothesized that pre- to post- treatment improvement for children and parents in the CBT group will be maintained or improved upon at 3-month follow up.
Interventions
Group based cognitive behavioural therapy. Parents attend 10 x 1.5 hours sessions (over 13 weeks) administered by two provisional psychologists. Groups sizes range from 3 to 7 parents.
Sponsors
Caroline Donovan
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
48 Months to 83 Months
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
To be included in the study children must have a diagnosis of 1) Asperger's Syndrome or 2) Autism Spectrum Disorder, requiring support for deficits in social communication and requiring support for restricted, repetitive behaviors, without accompanying intellectual impairment or 3) High Functioning Autism (autism without accompanying intellectual impairment) from a pediatrician or psychologist. Children must also meet the criteria for Asperger's Syndrome/High Functioning Autism according to the Checklist of Autism Spectrum Disorders and have elevated scores on the Preschool Anxiety Scale. No inclusion criteria applied to parents.
Exclusion criteria
Children who are currently receiving psychological treatment for anxiety will be excluded from the study.
Outcome results
None listed