Elsevier

Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Volume 5, Issue 1, January–March 2011, Pages 324-329
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

The relationship between autism spectrum disorders and anxiety: The moderating effect of communication

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2010.04.015Get rights and content

Abstract

Communication skills have been shown to have differing effects on levels of anxiety depending on whether or not a child has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or is typically developing. This article examined whether or not communication deficits differentially affect children with ASD compared to those without ASD. Ninety-nine children with autistic disorder (n = 33), Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; n = 33), and no diagnosis (n = 33) were examined using the Autism Spectrum Disorders Diagnostic for Children and Comorbidity for Children scales to determine their level of anxiety and degree of communication deficits. Results indicated that anxiety decreased as communication deficits increased for those with autistic disorder compared to those with PDD-NOS or no diagnosis; however, for those with PDD-NOS anxiety increased as communication deficits increased compared to those with no diagnosis. The importance and differential impact of communication deficits on anxiety for different groups is highlighted.

Section snippets

Anxiety and communication in typical children

In the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, Kessler et al. (2005) estimated a prevalence rate of 28.8% for all anxiety disorders. With such elevated prevalence rates, anxiety is becoming an increasing concern for the typically developing population, and it is important to understand the contribution that different variables such as communication may have to the presence of anxiety disorders. In addition, anxiety frequently co-occurs with deficits in communication within the typical

Anxiety and communication in children with autism spectrum disorders

Impairment in communication (i.e., deficits in communication skills) is one of the three core features required for diagnosis of an ASD (APA, 2000, Kanner, 1943, Matson, 2007). Furthermore, deficits in communication are typically among the first warning signs that a child may not be developing on track (Howlin & Moore, 1997) and children with ASD show greater communication deficits than those with other forms of developmental delay (Matson, Fodstad, Hess, & Neal, 2009). It is estimated that

Present study

Given the previous research findings concerning communication deficits and anxiety, this article aimed to examine whether or not there are fundamental differences in the effects of communication deficits on anxiety levels in children with ASDs compared to typical children. Specifically, it was hypothesized that (1) typical children would experience greater anxiety as their communication deficits increased; however, (2) children with ASDs would experience less anxiety as their communication

Participants

Ninety-nine children and adolescents diagnosed with an ASD or determined to be typically developing served as participants. Participants with an ASD were further divided into those with autistic disorder or Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; see Section 4.3). Study recruitment was conducted via outpatient clinics, schools, and community organizations throughout the United States as part of a larger ASD study. Participants for the current study ranged in age

Preliminary analyses

Preliminary analyses were performed to examine if verbal communication (communication deficits) from the ASD-DC, anxiety level created as described from the ASD-CC, and diagnostic group differed due to the demographic variables age, gender, and ethnicity. Categorical variables were tested using chi-square tests and continuous data were explored utilizing one-way ANOVAs. There were no significant differences for ethnicity or age. Significant differences were found for gender among each of the

Discussion

While other studies have found differences among anxiety symptoms and various ASDs (e.g., Davis, Fodstad, et al., 2010), this is the first study to describe the interaction of autistic disorder, PDD-NOS, and no diagnosis with communication deficits leading to different amounts of anxiety. Consistent with the extant literature (Beitchman et al., 2001, Blood et al., 2007, Cantwell and Baker, 1987), communication deficits interacted with diagnostic group to predict higher anxiety, however, only

References (34)

  • S.W. White et al.

    Anxiety in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

    Clinical Psychology Review

    (2009)
  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text...
  • R.M. Baron et al.

    The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations

    Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

    (1986)
  • S. Bellini

    Social skill deficits and anxiety in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

    Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities

    (2004)
  • S. Bryson

    Brief report: Epidemiology of autism

    Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

    (1996)
  • T.E. Davis

    PTSD, anxiety, and phobias

  • T.E. Davis et al.

    Anxiety symptoms across the lifespan in people with autistic disorder

    Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

    (2010)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text