The USF Health Rothman Center for Neuropsychiatry in St. Petersburg, FL, is conducting a Ttwo-year federal trial testing the effectiveness of behavioral psychotherapy in treating anxiety among young adolescents with autism.
The University of South Florida is one three sites for the $1-million study, sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The other two sites are the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Miami. The USF arm of the study will receive approximately $500,000.
Autism spectrum disorders, collectively referred to as autism, cause pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language and the ability to relate to others and can range from a severe from (called autistic disorder) to a much milder form known as Asperger syndrome. Anxiety disorders affect as many as 80 percent of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, triggering distress and impairment over and above that caused by an autism diagnosis alone, said Eric Storch, PhD, principal investigator for the multi-site trial and associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at USF Health.
"As yet, there are no tried-and-true methods for treating the anxiety that often accompanies autism," Dr. Storch said. "Cognitive behavioral therapy has worked very well for typically developing kids with anxiety. The goal of this study is to adapt this therapy for use in early adolescents with autism and co-occurring anxiety."
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) involves exposing a patient to what they fear in controlled, graduated doses in an attempt to decrease their anxiety over time and prevent a compulsive or avoidance response. It has become a gold standard treatment for youngsters with anxiety disorders who do not have complicating conditions like autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.