Fearless Me!: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of an Innovative Treatment Program for Children with Intellectual Disability and Anxiety

This research aims to trial the Fearless Me! program to see whether Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is an effective treatment for anxiety in children with intellectual disabilities. The Fearless Me! program has been specifically adapted for the needs of children with intellectual disabilities in the mild, moderate and borderline ranges. Data will be collected from parents/carers and children participating. The materials used will be: - Spence Anxiety Questionnaire (parent version and child version) - Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (parent version and child version) - Child Anxiety Life Interference Scale - Developmental Behaviour Checklist - Emotions Development Questionnaire - Visual Analogue Rating scale of anxiety - Kaufmann Brief Intelligence Test - Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory - Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders Parents/carers will make contact with the research team and complete a screener to assess for suitability in the program. This will involve confirmation of a mild or moderate intellectual disability, or IQ in the borderline range. Children are required to be between 8 - 18 years of age (inclusive), with anxiety concerns and no active self harm/suicidality. Parents will complete the screen for child anxiety related disorders. There will be an initial assessment session, followed by ten weekly therapy sessions, and then a follow up assessment session post treatment. There will also be a three month and 12 month follow up. All sessions (therapy and assessments) will be conducted by psychologists with either provisional or full registration, and be involved in weekly supervision sessions. The Kaufmann Brief Intelligence Test will be used as a screen of intellectual functioning. For those in the waitlist control group, they will receive the initial assessment, wait ten weeks, and then complete the follow up assessment, before then receiving the treatment. The weekly therapy sessions will consist of cognitive behaviour therapy treatment. This will involve teaching children to identify, distinguish between and link their thoughts, emotions and behaviours. This will be done using the online program and tasks which have been created to practice this skill. The program will also involve setting behavioural goals to overcome fears, and the teaching of relaxation strategies. The website will be used at home to monitor progress with the behavioural goals, practice the skill of identifying unhelpful thinking styles and challenging these thoughts, as well as access to videos which demonstrate relaxation techniques. It is expected that children/parents will use the program at home for approximately 1 hour per week. Additional use is at the parents discretion. The intervention will mostly be delivered face-to-face. There is a website which is used as an adjunct to face to face therapy which parents and children are encouraged to use at home in order to practice skills taught in sessions. All face to face sessions will involve one therapist, the child and a parent/carer present. All sessions will be held at the University of Technology Sydney.