Behavioral Activation for Treatment of Depression in Autistic Adolescents With Below Average Intelligence

Behavioral Activation for Treatment of Depression in Autistic Adolescents With Below Average Intelligence

Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by differences in social communication/interaction and the presence of restricted/repetitive behaviors, with significant heterogeneity in terms of autistic features, language ability, and cognitive characteristics. About 2-3% of individuals in the United States are autistic, and most autistic individuals have co-occurring mental health conditions. Autistic people are 3-4 times more likely to experience depression than non-autistic people. Of the emerging depression treatment research with autistic people, none to date has focused on developing and testing a depression treatment for autistic youth with below average cognitive abilities - a group which comprises over 50% of the autistic community. Therefore, this study seeks to evaluate the feasibility (Aim 1), acceptability (Aim 2), and preliminary treatment effects (Aim 3) of an extension of Behavioral Activation for Depression in Autistic Adolescents (BA-A), adapted to meet the needs of cognitively lower functioning autistic youth.

Inclusion Criteria

• 12-17 years old
• Autism diagnosis
• Symptoms of depression (more specifically, Children's Depression Inventory, Second Edition parent-report and/or self-report T-score ⩾ 65)
• IQ 60-84
• Stable on medications for mood, anxiety, and/or behavior for 3 months
• Participation of same parent(s) in all therapy sessions and assessment visits Exclusion Criteria
• Participation in another psychotherapy during the study period
• Imminent risk of harm to self and/or others
• Bipolar disorder, a personality disorder, and/or schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder