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Social Worries and Difficulties: Autism and/or Social Anxiety Disorder?

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Abstract

In this chapter, we explore the phenotypic overlap between social anxiety disorder (SAD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mechanisms through which social anxiety might arise in a person with ASD, and clinical considerations for differential and dual diagnosis. We consider social anxiety diagnostically as well as dimensionally, given the debate about the validity of co-occurring SAD in ASD, the fairly nascent state of the research on the topic, and recent explication in our diagnostic nosology on differentiation between and dual diagnosis of SAD and ASD (APA 2013). Social anxiety is a common clinical concern among people diagnosed with ASD; its presence is often inferred from behavioral manifestations rather than expressed cognitions (e.g., worries about failure or peer judgment). There are many unknowns with respect to how best to assess, diagnose, and treat social anxiety in individuals with ASD. Nonetheless, in summarizing the extant research, we provide specific recommendations for further research in this area and suggestions for evidence-based assessment and treatment.

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White, S., Schry, A., Kreiser, N. (2014). Social Worries and Difficulties: Autism and/or Social Anxiety Disorder?. In: Davis III, T., White, S., Ollendick, T. (eds) Handbook of Autism and Anxiety. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06796-4_9

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