Psychiatric epidemiologists, developmental psychopathologists, prevention scientists, and treatment researchers have long speculated that treating child anxiety disorders could prevent alcohol and other drug use disorders in young adulthood. A primary challenge in examining long-term effects of anxiety disorder treatment from randomized controlled…

Background: Contemporary clinical and empirical perspectives indicate that management of the psychosocial features of stuttering is fundamental for effective treatment. Interventions that improve psychosocial outcomes for school-age children who stutter are, therefore, needed. Aims: This systematic review identifies what psychosocial outcomes have…

Anxiety commonly co-occurs in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and contributes to the difficulties students experience at school. Few school-based interventions demonstrate strong empirical data for successfully treating anxiety in children with ASD at school. The factors that are important to maximizing school-based intervention…

Background: Parent-only psychological interventions can be effective treatments for child anxiety. Involving parents in treatment may be beneficial for children, ensuring that interventions are delivered effectively in a supportive environment. Few studies have investigated the feasibility and acceptability of parent-only interventions for child…

Purpose: Using data from a randomized clinical trial evaluating cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for children with autism and co-occurring anxiety, this study examined the relationship between autism features and anxiety symptoms throughout CBT. Methods: Two multilevel mediation analyses were run which examined the mediating role of changes in…

This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of randomized controlled trials of psychoeducational group interventions targeting anxiety symptoms in youths. We systematically searched for articles and located twelve studies that collectively included 1132 subjects. Analyses showed an overall effect of -0.47…

The aim of the present study was to examine the additive effect of elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on the video game Mindlight in decreasing anxiety of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A non-concurrent multiple baseline design with 8 children with ASD in the age of 8-12 was used. CBT did not have the hypothesized…

A brief, parent-led, transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach demonstrated utility among youth struggling with emotional problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Homework completion between sessions is directly associated with psychotherapy treatment outcomes in non-parent-led CBT interventions. The present study sought to examine…

Exposure and response prevention is an evidence-based intervention recommended as a first-line treatment for childhood anxiety disorders. Despite over a century of research establishing its efficacy, many school- and college-aged youth fail to receive timely and effective treatment. This brief review will summarize the rationale and efficacy of…

Depression is common among autistic youth and is associated with worse quality of life in this group. Despite significant need for high-quality efficacious treatments, there has been very limited research on interventions for depression in autistic youth. This single-arm pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a novel,…

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) programs adapted to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) effectively reduce anxiety when run in university clinics. Forty-nine children aged 8-14 years participated in a waitlist controlled study in a general child psychiatric hospital setting. Post-treatment 30% of the children were free of their…

Background: Children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience symptoms of various mental disorders along with the characteristics that define ASD. High rates of several psychiatric disorders have been reported in people with ASD such as anxiety, depression, cognitive problems, emotional regulation difficulties and…

Background: Children within historically disadvantaged non-Western South African communities are considered as particularly vulnerable to the development of anxiety problems. Although the need for accessible mental health interventions is evident, this need has remained unmet in a country with extreme socio-economic disparities and a lack of…

Children with chronic conditions (i.e., asthma) are more likely to have anxiety or depressive symptoms. Comorbid asthma and anxiety in children leads to increased morbidity, causing children to miss instructional time and parent/caregiver (CG) work absences. Asthma educational programs and mental health interventions have been developed, though no…

Anxiety disorders are one of the most commonly re-occurring co-occurring diagnoses of children with autism, affecting approximately as many as 84% of children with ASD (Chalfant, et al., 2006) as opposed to 13% of children without autism (van Steensel et al., 2011). A growing body of research indicates that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an…