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Brief Report: Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Individual Mindfulness Therapy for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Intervention research on adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is sparse. Many adults with ASD experience impaired emotion regulation (ER), which is thought to contribute to higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities among adults with ASD and indirect effects upon adaptive functioning, interpersonal relationships, and vocational status. The purpose of this study was to investigate feasibility and initial efficacy of an adapted mindfulness-based individual therapy targeting ER difficulties for adults with ASD. There is evidence for feasibility based on acceptable treatment fidelity and participant satisfaction ratings. Of nine participants, seven demonstrated improvement in at least one of the following domains; impulse control, access to ER strategies, and emotional acceptance. Further research is recommended, including additional timepoints and a clinical cutoff-derived sample.

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Funding

This study was funded by Organization for Autism Research Graduate Research Grant 2014. Findings were part of C. M. Conner’s doctoral dissertation.

Author Contributions

CMC primarily developed the study aims, design, coordination, and performed data analysis with SWW’s assistance as her doctoral dissertation mentor. CMC acted as the study clinician with SWW providing licensed supervision. CMC drafted the dissertation and initial draft of manuscript with SWW providing feedback. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. Caitlin M. Conner

    Present address: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3811 O’Hara Street, Webster Hall Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 109 Williams Hall (0436), 890 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Caitlin M. Conner & Susan W. White

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  1. Caitlin M. Conner
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  2. Susan W. White
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Correspondence to Caitlin M. Conner.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Conner, C.M., White, S.W. Brief Report: Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of Individual Mindfulness Therapy for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 290–300 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3312-0

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