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Brief Report of Preliminary Outcomes of an Emotion Regulation Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • S.I. : Emotion Regulation and Psychiatric Comorbidity in ASD
  • Published:
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Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with comorbid psychopathology including problems with emotion regulation. The goal of the present research was to investigate the feasibility of a multicomponent manualized cognitive behavior therapy treatment program for improving emotion regulation in youth with ASD 8–12 years of age. Thirteen males and their parents participated in the intervention, reporting high satisfaction with the activities and program overall, and attending all sessions. Preliminary outcomes regarding emotion regulation and psychopathology, and feasibility of the intervention, are summarized and discussed.

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Notes

  1. The only female participant in the sample terminated participation after Session 1 for reasons unrelated to the intervention/study. Only demographic information is included. An additional female completed the pre-intervention assessment but did not begin the actual intervention so data for this participant are not included.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the families and graduate students who participated in this research, and Dr. R. Beaumont for her earlier review of this manuscript, for developing the Secret Agent Society: Operation Regulation, and support in clinical delivery. This research was funded by the Chair in Autism Spectrum Disorders Treatment and Care Research to Dr. Weiss (#RN284208; Canadian Institutes of Health Research in partnership with NeuroDevNet, Sinneave Family Foundation, CASDA, Autism Speaks Canada and Health Canada) and seed funding from the Spectrum of Hope Autism Foundation.

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  1. Kendra Thomson

    Present address: Centre for Applied Disability Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, York University, Rm. 230, Behavioral Science Building, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Kendra Thomson, Priscilla Burnham Riosa & Jonathan A. Weiss

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Correspondence to Jonathan A. Weiss.

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Thomson, K., Burnham Riosa, P. & Weiss, J.A. Brief Report of Preliminary Outcomes of an Emotion Regulation Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 3487–3495 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2446-1

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