The Role of Sensory Features in Mediating Associations Between Autism Symptoms and Anxiety in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The Role of Sensory Features in Mediating Associations Between Autism Symptoms and Anxiety in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 2019 Feb 15;: Authors: Bitsika V, Arnold WA, Sharpley CF Abstract To investigate possible correlates of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) in young males with ASD, a test of the mediation effects of sensory features (SF) upon the association between ASD symptoms and GAD was conducted with 150 males aged 6 to 18 years. GAD data were obtained from parents of the boys and from the boys themselves; SF and ASD data were obtained from parents. Symptoms of ASD were found to influence elevated levels of parent-rated GAD indirectly through greater levels of sensory avoiding, and auditory-specific sensory behaviours correlated with parent-rated anxiety more strongly than other sensory modalities. There were no significant effects for the boys' self-rated GAD. PMID: 30771129 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: J Autism Dev Disord Source Type: research