Abstract
Anxiety is commonly experienced by children on the autism spectrum, and can negatively impact their lives. Family accommodation has been linked to the impact of anxiety on the child’s life in non-autistic children. This study tested whether the same relationship holds for children on the autism spectrum. A community sample (n = 118) of parents of children on the spectrum completed questionnaires on their child’s autism characteristics and severity and impact of their child’s anxiety, their own anxiety and family accommodation behaviours. Family accommodation was associated with the impact of child anxiety, over and above anxiety severity of the child and parent. Findings support the involvement of parents in psychosocial support for children on the autism spectrum experiencing anxiety.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. LME contributed to formal analysis and writing (original draft); DA contributed to data collection and writing (review and editing). All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Emerson, L.M., Adams, D. Brief Report: Family Accommodation is Associated with the Impact of Childhood Anxiety in Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 3710–3716 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05534-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05534-x