Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Hajcak, Greg | Heyman, Richard | Robinson, John | Zarcone, Jennifer.
Date
2012-12-01
Keywords
Psychology | anxiety, autism, intellectual disability, intervention, problem behavior
Department
Department of Clinical Psychology.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/77191
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
The relationship between anxiety and problem behavior has not been systematically investigated in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although there are numerous studies demonstrating successful treatment of anxiety in neurotypical populations, there is little research on the functional assessment and treatment of anxiety in children with ASD and intellectual disability (ID). Thus, the present study evaluated a multimethod strategy for the assessment and treatment of anxiety and problem behavior in three children with comorbid ASD and ID. In Study 1, anxiety was operationally defined, a functional analysis of problem behavior was conducted in High-Anxiety versus Low-Anxiety conditions, and heart rate data was collected across conditions. Results indicated that, in High-Anxiety conditions, levels of problem behavior were high and, in Low-Anxiety conditions, problem behavior was low. Two of the three participants also exhibited a significantly higher heart rate in the High-Anxiety than in the Low-Anxiety conditions. In Study 2, a multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention package, incorporating strategies from the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) literature for neurotypical children with strategies from Positive Behavior Support (PBS) for children with developmental disabilities. Following intervention, all three participants showed substantial decreases in anxiety and associated problem behavior in the situations that had previously been identified as anxiety-provoking. | 179 pages
Recommended Citation
Moskowitz, Lauren Jill, "Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety and Problem Behavior in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual Disability" (2012). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 3025.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/3025