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Treatment of Comorbid Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Youth with ASD: The Case of Max

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Clinical Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

Abstract

Ritualized and repetitive behaviours are included in the diagnostic criteria for both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD often co-occurs in young people with ASD, yet there is little clinical research on its phenomenology or treatment. The extant research in this area is largely composed of qualitative and single-subject study designs. In this chapter, we synthesize this body of research and provide recommendations for differential and dual diagnostic decision-making and treatment planning. The case of a 16-year-old male with comorbid ASD and OCD is presented, in which we demonstrate how standard cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for OCD may be modified, for instance, to address problems with emotion regulation that hinder progression through an exposure-based therapy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Psychology and Behavioural Basis of Health, Griffith University and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, Australia

    Lara J. Farrell PhD

  2. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, Australia

    Sophie C. James BS & Donna Griffiths DPsych

  3. Child Study Centre, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Brenna B. Maddox MS & Susan White PhD

Authors
  1. Lara J. Farrell PhD
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  2. Sophie C. James BS
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  3. Brenna B. Maddox MS
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  4. Donna Griffiths DPsych
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  5. Susan White PhD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Health Policy & Management, Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, and Psychology, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Eric A. Storch

  2. Departments of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Adam B. Lewin

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Farrell, L., James, S., Maddox, B., Griffiths, D., White, S. (2016). Treatment of Comorbid Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Youth with ASD: The Case of Max. In: Storch, E., Lewin, A. (eds) Clinical Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17139-5_23

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