Anxiety in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders ­characterized by impairments in social and communication skills as well as restricted interests and stereotyped behavior. Researchers generally agree that individuals with ASD are at high risk for anxiety disorders. However, due to overlapping symptoms between ASD and anxiety disorders, the assessment of anxiety in this population can be challenging. Further, the identification of appropriate and effective psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for children with ASD significantly lags behind these same efforts for typically developing children with anxiety disorders, leaving many questions about how to best address anxiety in this population once it has been diagnosed. This chapter aims to discuss the current knowledge related to the clinical presentation, prevalence, etiology, assessment, and treatment of anxiety in children and adolescents with ASD.