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ViewAttendees 5

Symposia

Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders

A neurodiversity-affirmative approach to involving parents and caregivers in assessment of and support for autistic children and young people.

2 - (SYM 10) A Co-designed Neurodiversity-affirmative Intervention to Help Parents Help Their Autistic Children to Address Anxiety Problems

Friday, November 21, 2025
3:18 PM - 3:32 PM CST
Location: Empire C, Level 2
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorders, CBT, Parenting
Recommended Readings: Cullingham, T., Rennard, U., Creswell, C., Milton, D., Buckle, K. L., Godber, L., ... & Green, J. (2024). The process of co‐design for a new anxiety intervention for autistic children. JCPP Advances, e12255. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcv2.12255,   Lebowitz ER, Marin C, Martino A, Shimshoni Y, Silverman WK. Parent-Based Treatment as Efficacious as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Childhood Anxiety: A Randomized Noninferiority Study of Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2020;59(3):362-372. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2019.02.014,   Rozenblat, S., Shimshoni, Y., Lebowitz, E.R. et al. A Pilot Trial of SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) in Autism. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 56, 249–263 (2025). doi: 10.1007/s10578-023-01555-4,   Wood, J. J., Kendall, P. C., Wood, K. S., Kerns, C. M., Seltzer, M., Small, B. J., ... & Storch, E. A. (2020). Cognitive behavioral treatments for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA psychiatry, 77(5), 474-483. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.4160,   Lei, J., Leigh, E., Charman, T., Russell, A., & Hollocks, M. J. (2024). Exploring the association between social camouflaging and self- versus caregiver-report discrepancies in anxiety and depressive symptoms in autistic and non-autistic socially anxious adolescents. Autism, 28(10), 2657-2674. doi: 10.1177/13623613241238251
Abstract Body

Anxiety disorders are common for autistic children. Adapted treatment programmes have been developed but few have been co-designed with the autistic community.  In response, we combined multi-perspective qualitative data with processes and strategies based on experience-based co-design, health-care co-design and autism-specific models for participatory research to adapt a brief therapist-supported, parent-led CBT approach to treat anxiety disorders in children to meet the needs of autistic children and their families. 



 



In this presentation we describe (i) the codesign process (incorporating an embedded qualitative study), (ii) the key adaptations to the intervention, (iii) initial case study data, and (iv) an overview of an ongoing major randomised controlled trial to establish the efficacy of the new programme in routine child mental health services in the UK. 



 



The co-design process integrated information from background theory and research, research team clinical and academic experience, data from the embedded qualitative study, and the experiences and reflections on an Expert Reference Group (ERG) comprising parents, young people, and clinicians with relevant lived experience. Following training on relevant content and the process, the ERG critically evaluated current recommended adaptations for autistic children, examined the qualitative study findings, and contributed to the development of the new treatment content. Key insights from the co-design process included (i) the need for well-integrated neuro-affirmative information throughout the intervention, (ii) the importance of thinking about the individual child and personalisation throughout the programme (given frequent  negative experiences of a ‘one size fits all’ approach), (iii) the importance of therapists understanding how challenging  child anxiety in the context of autism can be for the whole family, (iv) recognition of the pressure to conform to neurotypical expectations, and (v) the importance of addressing potential concerns about ‘CBT’ based on previous experiences or conceptualisations. In this talk we will describe how these learnings have been taken forwards into treatment development and evaluation.