TORONTO, 2018– New research from York University’s Faculty
of Health shows cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help
children with autism manage not only anxiety but other
emotional challenges, such as sadness and anger.
Led by Jonathan Weiss, associate professor in
the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and CIHR
Chair in Autism Spectrum Disorders Treatment and Care
Research, the study shows CBT can lead to significant
improvements in children’s emotional regulation. It also
shows – for the first time – that CBT can improve more than
just anxiety.
This is the first transdiagnostic CBT trial for
children with autism, employing a randomized controlled
trial.
Approximately 70 per cent of children with
autism will struggle with some form of emotional challenge.
About half of these children will struggle with anxiety and
another 25 to 40 per cent will struggle with other emotional
challenges such as anger or depression. In fact, there is a
high co-occurrence among these conditions.
“We can use this same intervention to improve
children’s skills more broadly regardless of what emotional
challenge they have,” says Weiss. “We can make them more
resilient to many emotional and mental health issues.”
Sixty-eight children from 8 to 12 years of age
and their parents, mostly mothers, participated in the study
and were randomly assigned to two groups: one group
receiving 10 sessions beginning right away and another group
waiting to receive treatment later. Researchers tracked how
their emotions and behaviour changed prior to and after
treatment.
“We showed that children who received this
treatment right away improved in their ability to manage
their emotions, and in overall mental health problems,
versus kids who were waiting for treatment,” says Weiss.
A clinician who was not involved in the direct
provision of the treatment and did not know if children were
in the treatment or waitlist group rated 74% of children
receiving treatment as improved, compared to only 31% of
those in the waitlist group.
The treatment consisted of time-limited
spy-themed cognitive behavioural therapy involving a
computer program, games and tools to help build the child’s
emotional toolkit. The tools help children face situations
that may have previously been challenging, head-on and in a
more supportive way. During the intervention, parents also
practice what they are learning with their children and
serve as co-therapists in the therapy sessions.
“We believe that children grow and develop and
improve within the context of healthy families and this
intervention aids to help the family unit more broadly to be
the agent of change.”
Researchers are now looking at how this
intervention can be used for other neurodevelopmental
conditions that often overlap with autism, such as ADHD.
This study was funded by the CIHR Chair in ASD
Treatment and Care Research, in partnership with Health
Canada, Kids Brain Health Network, Autism Speaks Canada, the
Sinneave Family Foundation, and the Canadian ASD Alliance
with additional funding from York University.
The study is published in
The
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
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Media contact:
Anjum Nayyar, York University Media Relations,
416 736 2100 ext. 44543 anayyar@yorku.ca
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