Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Vs. Theory Of Mind - 1826 Words

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. Theory of Mind: A Focus on Anxiety Reduction in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Adolescence is a crucial time when children begin to figure themselves out and what they want to do with their lives, all the while being introduced to higher level responsibilities. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can heavily impair this process and make the transition from child to teenager increasingly difficult, especially if they are also diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a common add-on to ASD. According to Approximately 44% of children and adolescents with ASD is effected by anxiety (as cited in Van Steensel, Bogels, Perrin, 2011). As of this time, not much research has been done as to what best†¦show more content†¦The purpose of this paper is to compare two popular cognitive interventions, CBT and ToM, and determine which practice yields more effective results in anxiety reduction among adolescents with ASD. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Studies Wood et al. (2014) studied a sample size of 33 adolescents aged 11 to 15 years old who met the diagnostic criteria of having ASD. Participants were organized via a randomized-controlled trial through a computer randomization program, and was divided into two categories: Immediate Treatment or Waitlist. 16 sessions of a modified version of the Behavioral Interventions for Anxiety in Children with Autism (BIACA) were implemented in the Intermediate treatment category (Wood et al., 2015, p.1), which is a module that incorporates core elements of CBT skills (Wood et al., 2015, p.6). The purpose of the BIACA is to â€Å"emphasize key skills for positive social behavior skills and developmentally appropriate get-togethers that can be used in real-world settings† (Wood et al., 2015, p.6). The specific CBT modules included basic coping skills, behavioral activation, cognitive restructuring, in vivo exposure, parent-guided home-based exposure, as well as reward systems designed to address comorbid anxiety issues present in ASD (Wood et al., 2015, p.6). Examples of