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Evaluation ViewAttendees 6

Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders
Symposia

Symposium 20 - Innovation in Early Intervention: Targeting Psychological Mechanisms in Young Autistic Children

Friday, November 15, 2024
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST
Location: Grand Ballroom I/J, Level 5, Downtown Marriott
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Treatment, Child
Level of Familiarity: All
Recommended Readings: Conner, C. M., Elias, R., Smith, I. C., & White, S. W. (2023). Emotion Regulation and Executive Function: Associations with Depression and Anxiety in Autism. Research in autism spectrum disorders, 101, 102103.,  

Feldman, I., Koller, J., Lebowitz, E. R., Shulman, C., Ben Itzchak, E., & Zachor, D. A. (2019). Family Accommodation in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 49(9), 3602–3610.

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Jenkinson, R., Milne, E., & Thompson, A. (2020). The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autism: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 24(8), 1933–1944.

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Frank, H. E., Kagan, E. R., Storch, E. A., Wood, J. J., Kerns, C. M., Lewin, A. B., Small, B. J., & Kendall, P. C. (2022). Accommodation of Anxiety in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results from the TAASD Study. Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, 51(2), 219–229.

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Autistic children have high rates of emotional and behavioral disorders. Often, these disorders emerge when autistic children are young, < 6 years, and negatively impact developmental functioning and long-term outcomes (Green et al., 2012). A variety of disorder-specific psychotherapeutic interventions have garnered empirical-support (Dickson et al., 2021). While promising, existing trials have several limitations. First, autistic children demonstrate lower rates of remission in response to some disorder-specific treatments compared to non-autistic children receiving similar interventions (Warwick et al., 2017). Additionally, disorder-specific approaches require autistic children with co-occurring conditions to receive multiple interventions. Finally, most treatment models have been developed for older children, with limited options for young autistic children (Vasa et al., 2020). Hence, novel treatment approaches are sorely needed to advance mental health care for autistic children.

One potential strategy to improve mental health outcomes is to develop interventions that target transdiagnostic mechanisms (Kendall et al., 2020). Several mechanistic factors are implicated in the development and maintenance of anxiety, mood, and behavioral disorders in autistic children. These include parental/family accommodation, intolerance of uncertainty, emotion regulation, and cognitive flexibility (Conner et al., 2023; Feldman et al., 2019; Jenkinson et al., 2020). Targeting these mechanisms, instead of specific disorders, may produce larger effect sizes and offer a more efficient delivery model. Outcomes may also be improved by treating mental health conditions when autistic children are young, as this capitalizes on children’s heightened brain neuroplasticity and the increased malleability of parent-child response patterns in early development.

This symposium will present several mechanistic targets and treatment models for young autistic children. The first presentation will examine family accommodation as an underlying mechanism in the expression of repetitive behaviors and the use of ecological momentary assessment to differentiate adaptive/maladaptive repetitive behaviors (Shir Rozenblat, MA). The second presentation will discuss the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of DINO Strategies for Anxiety and fear of Uncertainty Reduction (DINOSAUR), a virtual anxiety treatment for children and parents targeting parental accommodation and intolerance of uncertainty (Amy Keefer, PhD). The third presentation will present changes in emotional regulation in response to the Stress and Anger Management Program (STAMP), a clinic-based, group intervention for children and parents (Jennifer Bertollo, MS). The fourth presentation examines mental health and behavioral outcomes following a preschool adaptation of the Unstuck and On Target intervention (UoT), a child-focused treatment targeting emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility in school and clinic-based settings (Allison Ratto, PhD). Finally, the Discussant (Conner Kerns, PhD) will discuss findings in the context of the current landscape of mental health research and present future directions for intervention development.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Identify four mechanisms underlying emotional and behavioral disorders in autistic children.
  2. Discuss three limitations of disorder-specific mental health treatment models for autistic children.
  3. Identify relationships between family accommodation and repetitive behaviors in autistic children.
  4. Discuss data supporting the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of three mechanistic interventions for young autistic children.
  5. Discuss future priorities for mental health intervention research in autistic children.
  6. Explain the use of ecological momentary analysis to distinguish adaptive and maladaptive repetitive behaviors in autistic children.

Presentations:

  • 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST
    (SYM 20) Supporting Young Autistic Children in the Context of Maladaptive Rrbs: The Potential Role of Family Accommodation

    Speaker: Shir Rozenblat, M.A. (she/her/hers) – The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

    Co-author: Tamar Matz Vaisman, MA – the hebrew university of jerusalem

    Co-author: Tal Mentch Lifshits, MA – the hebrew university of jerusalem

    Co-author: Mor Nahum, PhD – The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

    Co-author: Judah Koller, PsyD – the hebrew university of jerusalem

    Co-Author: Eli R. Lebowitz, Ph.D. – Yale Child Study Center

  • 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST
    (SYM 20) Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of a Mechanistic Intervention for Anxiety in Young Autistic Children

    Speaker: Amy Keefer, ABPP, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University

    Co-author: Jeremy Perrin, MS – Kennedy Krieger Institute

    Co-author: Sarah Winchell, BA – Ohio University

    Co-author: Roma A. Vasa, MD – Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University

  • 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST
    (SYM 20) Supporting Early Emotion Regulation in Autism: A Group-based Intervention Approach

    Speaker: Jennifer R. Bertollo, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research

    Co-author: Jennifer R. Bertollo, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research

    Co-author: Angela Scarpa, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research

  • 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EST
    (SYM 20) Flexible Thinking Helps Us Feel Better: Supporting Emotion Regulation in Preschoolers Through Executive Function Intervention

    Speaker: Allison Ratto, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Children's National Hospital

    Co-author: Laura Anthony, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Colorado, School of Medicine

    Co-author: Julianna Mckenna, B.A. – Children’s National Health System

    Co-author: Abigail Brandt, MA, CCC-SLP – Children's National

    Co-author: Cassianna McCants, PsyD – Children's National

    Co-author: Sheina Godovich, PhD – Children's National

    Co-author: Jonathan Safer, PhD – University of Colorado - Anschutz

    Co-author: Lauren Kenworthy, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Childrens National Hospital