Anxiety disorders are commonly comorbid in adolescents and young adults with high-functioning autism. Cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT) for anxiety, when adapted and expanded to target autism spectrum disorder (ASD) characteristics, may be beneficial, but there is minimal evidence to guide clinicians in their application. This multiple-baseline design study evaluated the initial efficacy of a CBT protocol adapted to address anxiety symptoms and adaptive functioning in this population. Anxiety and ASD symptoms were assessed for six participants at intake, after baseline, posttreatment, and at 1-month follow-up. Parent-and child-reported anxiety was also assessed during baseline and treatment. Visual inspection and reliable change index scores were used to evaluate change. All participants improved on clinician-rated measures of disorder severity, and gains were maintained at follow-up. Results were more equivocal for parent-and self-rated anxiety and parent-rated ASD, partly because of spontaneous changes during baseline.

中文翻译：

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患有自闭症谱系障碍的老年青少年和年轻人的焦虑症治疗：一项前瞻性研究。

在患有自闭症的青少年中，焦虑症通常是合并症。当针对焦虑症的认知行为疗法（CBT）进行调整并扩展到针对自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）特征时，可能是有益的，但很少有证据指导临床医生的应用。这项多基线设计研究评估了CBT协议的初始功效，该协议适用于解决该人群的焦虑症状和适应性功能。在基线，治疗后和随访1个月时，对6名参与者的焦虑和ASD症状进行了评估。在基线和治疗期间还评估了父母和孩子报告的焦虑。目视检查和可靠的变更指数评分用于评估变更。所有参与者均改善了临床医师对疾病严重程度的评估，并在随访中保持了获益。对于父母和自我评定的焦虑以及父母评定的ASD，结果更为模棱两可，部分原因是基线期间的自发变化。