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Comprehensive Guide to Autism pp 601–623Cite as

Anxiety in Individuals with ASD: Prevalence, Phenomenology, Etiology, Assessment, and Interventions

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Abstract

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience high levels of anxiety symptomatology with an estimated prevalence rate of anxiety disorders as high as 40 %. It is likely that anxiety is prominent in individuals with ASD throughout the life-span and that factors such as age, IQ, and ASD symptoms may influence the rates, symptoms, or anxiety subtypes. The high comorbidity rate of anxiety in ASD is likely to be explained by ASD deficits that make the individual more prone to develop anxiety disorders; however, diagnostic overlap may also partly explain the high rates of anxiety. In addition, there is some limited evidence that the same risk factors identified in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders in typically developing children may also play a role in youth with ASD. Self-reports as well as other informant reports, physiological measures, and direct observations are likely to be useful in assessing anxiety in ASD. To date, cognitive-behavioral therapy appears to hold the most evidence in treating anxiety in individuals with ASD. Other psychosocial interventions (including mindfulness-based and social-recreational interventions) may also be considered, although evidence has only recently began to emerge and more work is needed to understand which ASD-specific modifications or adaptations are likely to be most helpful.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Francisca Johanna Arnoldina van Steensel

  2. Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Susan Maria Bögels

  3. Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, 02-24, AS4, 9 Arts Link, 117570, Singapore, Singapore

    Iliana Magiati

  4. Department of Psychology, Lund University, 22100, Lund, Sweden

    Sean Perrin

Authors
  1. Francisca Johanna Arnoldina van Steensel
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  2. Susan Maria Bögels
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  3. Iliana Magiati
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  4. Sean Perrin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francisca Johanna Arnoldina van Steensel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, Faculty of Science & Technology, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Nutritional Sciences Division and Genomics Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. Faculty of Society and Health, Buckinghamshire New University, Middlesex, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

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van Steensel, F.J.A., Bögels, S.M., Magiati, I., Perrin, S. (2014). Anxiety in Individuals with ASD: Prevalence, Phenomenology, Etiology, Assessment, and Interventions. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V., Martin, C. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Autism. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_31

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4787-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4788-7

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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