Beating Anxiety Together BAT Ann Le Couteur Eleanor

Beating Anxiety Together (BAT) Ann Le Couteur, Eleanor Mc. Laughlin, Helen Mc. Conachie & ‘Beating Autism Together’ therapy and Research Team Therapy leads: Vicki Grahame, Helen Taylor, Emma Honey Thanks to all the parents and children who took part And all the group leaders Funding from NIHR Research for Patient Benefit Sept 2009 -11 Supported by Mental Health Research Network,

Exploring Feelings • Feasibility and acceptability of brief group CBT in CAMHS setting • Help children with ASD understand anxiety and how to manage feelings • Group setting to enable children to feel supported and to improve social skills • Parents attend separate group with same materials • Group, 7 weeks, 5 -7 pm, community venue • Follow up to 12 months • n = 32, 9 to 13 years

Structure of the Group • Sessions 1&2 – Introduction, feeling happy and relaxed • Session 3 – Understanding anxiety • Session 4 – Emotional Toolbox – physical, social, and thinking tools • Session 5 – Anxiety Hierarchy • Session 6 – Social Stories • Session 7 – Summary

Trial feasibility & acceptability Of families who expressed interest, 68% took part. Attendance at the Exploring Feelings groups was 91%. After 3 months we asked: CBT (n = 17) Waitlist (n = 14) Chi-sq ( p ) Has anxiety reduced? no yes child 5 12 11 3 7. 43 (0. 006) parent 6 11 10 4 4. 01 (0. 045)

ADIS change in severity of primary anxiety disorder 76% 33% baseline follow-up

Parent Feedback Interviews • Age “I think it would be a nice idea to do it earlier [than 10 years] even, because I think Autistic children do suffer with how to express their feelings…I think it’s nice to dip into it at an early age. ” • Venue “I liked the venue, I liked the way it wasn’t a clinical place, I liked that it wasn’t in a hospital type setting. ” • Concurrent parent session “He wouldn’t tell me anything, if he’d come home and I hadn’t attended any of them, I wouldn’t know anything, whereas I knew what he was doing so I could pick on bits during the week and say well did you do this, did you do that? ” • Session content: “I think the rope one [he enjoyed] because he does see things very black and white, and I think that was a good way of explaining like the different levels of anxieties that we feel as well. ” • Length of group “I would like the course to have run longer especially for (my child), as this is now ending just as (my child) is becoming relaxed and familiar with it”