Social anxiety in autism-spectrum disorder: a mixed-methods study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Autism-spectrum disorders: treating co-morbid social anxiety disorder with adapted cognitive behaviour therapy
IRAS ID
140363
Contact name
Deborah Spain
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Research summary
Autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) are common, lifelong neurodevelopmental disorders affecting 1% of the population. Individuals with ASD often experience co-morbid mental health conditions, including high rates of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Relatively little is known about why SAD occurs so commonly in ASD. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a recommended treatment of choice for SAD in the non-ASD adult population, but few studies have sought to establish if this is also an effective treatment for individuals with ASD and co-morbid SAD. This research study will utilise a mixed-methods approach to investigate social anxiety in ASD, and pilot a CBT intervention to treat these co-morbid symptoms.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/0578
Date of REC Opinion
23 Apr 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion