Coaching Children With Anxiety and Autism Through Telehealth

Coaching Children With Anxiety and Autism Through Telehealth

This study will examine a telehealth parenting intervention to reduce anxiety in 20 families of children between 4 and 8 years old with autism and anxiety. Caregivers and children complete 12 telehealth treatment sessions. Caregivers and children will complete pre tests, post tests, and 3 month followup assessments that include observations, heart rate monitoring, and caregiver ratings.

This study will examine the feasibility and initial efficacy of a telehealth adaptation of a parenting intervention to reduce anxiety (Coaching Approach behavior Leading by Modeling; CALM) amongst 20 families of children between 4 and 8 years old with autism and anxiety. Our time limited telehealth-delivered adaptation of CALM is called CAT (Coaching Children with Anxiety and Autism through Telehealth). The study will utilize an open trial design with pre, post, and 3-month follow-up assessments including observational measures, physiological measures, and caregiver ratings.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Child participants must:
• Be between 4:0-8:11 years old
• Have clinically significant caregiver-report symptoms of anxiety on the Parent-Rated Anxiety Scale for ASD (PRAS-ASD)
• Have a primary anxiety concern on the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders: Parent Version (ADIS/ASA)
• Have an ASD diagnosis made by a qualified diagnostician
• Have a cognitive level of 48 months on the Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale of Intelligence-Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV; ages 2:6-7:7) or the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V; ages 6:0-16:11)

Caregiver participants must:

• Have access to a computer, tablet, or phone with a camera and Wi-Fi access

Exclusion Criteria:

• Primary concern other than anxiety as measures on the ADIS/ASA