Living in Fear: Anxiety in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders Contributed by Dr. Scott Bellini

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders may experience symptoms of anxiety at a greater level than the general population according to an IRCA research project recently published in the journal, Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities. Forty-one verbal individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families participated in the study. The individuals in the study exhibited a broad range of anxious symptoms on both parent and self-report measures, including physiological arousal, separation anxiety, panic, and social anxiety. The findings of the study are consistent with the growing body of recent research detailing high levels of anxiety in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. In addition, this research project was the first to systematically study the relationship between social skill deficits and social anxiety. Correlational analyses revealed that poor social skills were associated with social anxiety in this group of adolescents. Social Anxiety Results of this study demonstrate that many individuals with autism spectrum disorders exhibit excessive fear and worry regarding social situations. Furthermore, this distress may impede social performance in the same way that excessive anxiety impedes athletic, dance, and public speaking performances. Or worse yet, it may lead to complete withdrawal and avoidance of social situations, creating a world of social isolation. The relationship between social skill deficits and social anxiety is likely reciprocal in nature. That is, poor social skills could lead t