Abstract
This report focuses on the emergence of and bidirectional effects between anxiety and sensory overresponsivity (SOR) in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Participants were 149 toddlers with ASD and their mothers, assessed at 2 annual time points. A cross-lag analysis showed that anxiety symptoms increased over time while SOR remained relatively stable. SOR positively predicted changes in anxiety over and above child age, autism symptom severity, NVDQ, and maternal anxiety, but anxiety did not predict changes in SOR. Results suggest that SOR emerges earlier than anxiety, and predicts later development of anxiety.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1112-1119 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2012 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Acknowledgments This research was conducted as part of the Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment (STAART) center at Boston University. Funding was provided by National Institute of Mental Health grant U54 MH 66398 (Helen Tager-Flus-berg, Center Principal Investigator, Alice S. Carter, Project Principal Investigator) as well as grants from the National Alliance for Autism Research (Alice S. Carter, Principal Investigator) and the Boston University General Clinical Research Center. We are grateful to the families of the children in this study, whose participation in our project inspires this work and makes it possible.
Keywords
- Anxiety
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Sensory over-responsivity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology