Does Anxiety Reduction Through Treatment Lead to Better Social Functioning In Youth with

Clinical anxiety is a commonly experienced challenge for youth with ASD that appears to exacerbate social maladjustment and related autism symptoms. Cognitive-behavioral (CBT) approaches have been of increasing interest for use with individuals on the autism spectrum, in part due to the success of such programs for ameliorating clinical anxiety in typically developing youth. CBT programs have recently been modified for use with youth on the autism spectrum, with considerable success. Among the most intriguing findings is that treatment-mediated anxiety reduction is associated with improvements in social responsiveness and peer relationships in youth with ASD. The treatment methods, which include explicit focus on social anxiety and social initiation, will be reviewed, and the potential mechanisms through which CBT may yield improvements in social functioning in youth will be discussed. Important areas for further treatment refinement and evaluation will also be reviewed.