SynthesisJournal of autism and developmental disorders2014
A systematic review of treatments for anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders.
Synthesis in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 169 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cognitive and Cerebral Aging Research in Autism: A Systematic Review on an Emerging Topic.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2025Pooled it
- Benefits and harms of interventions to improve anxiety, depression, and other mental health outcomes for autistic people: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Pooled it
- Caregiver Satisfaction with Anxiety Treatment for Autistic Youth: A Mixed Methods Examination.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Trial
- Citalopram Did Not Significantly Improve Anxiety in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Undergoing Treatment for Core Symptoms: Secondary Analysis of a Trial to Reduce Repetitive Behaviors.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2022Trial
- A Pilot Study of Family-Based Exposure-Focused Treatment for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anxiety.Child psychiatry and human development · 2020Trial
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Versus a Counselling Intervention for Anxiety in Young People with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2017Trial
- Defining treatment response and symptom remission for anxiety disorders in pediatric autism spectrum disorders using the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2015Trial
- Umbrella Review: Mental Health Interventions for Autistic Children and Adolescents: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Participatory Equity Synthesis.JAACAP open · 2026Review
- Co-occurring Psychiatric Symptoms in Verbal, School-Aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and at Least Average IQ.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Pharmacological Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comprehensive Review of Mechanisms and Efficacy.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Autistic Youth's Psychotherapy Service Use.Administration and policy in mental health · 2025Article
- Brief Report: Prevalence and Predictors of DSM-Specific and Distinct Anxiety in Cognitively Impaired Autistic Preschool Children.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Exercise Interventions for Autistic People: An Integrative Review of Evidence from Clinical Trials.Current psychiatry reports · 2025Review
- Knowledge, perceptions, and use of psychedelics for mental health among autistic adults: An online survey.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Sensory Processing and Anxiety: Within and Beyond the Autism Spectrum.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2025Review
- Trends in research related to anxiety disorders on the autism spectrum: a bibliometric study.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2025Review
- Article
- Discordance Between Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medication Use in Children and Adults With Autism Presenting in Crisis.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Article
- Evidence-Based Interventions in Autism.Pediatric clinics of North America · 2024Review
- Facilitators and barriers in psychotherapy from the perspective of autistic adults: an enhanced critical incident study.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
This study systematically examined the efficacy and safety of psychopharmacological and non-psychopharmacological treatments for anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Four psychopharmacological, nine cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and two alternative treatment studies met inclusion criteria. Psychopharmacological studies were descriptive or open label, sometimes did not specify the anxiety phenotype, and reported behavioral activation. Citalopram and buspirone yielded some improvement, whereas fluvoxamine did not. Non-psychopharmacological studies were mainly randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with CBT demonstrating moderate efficacy for anxiety disorders in youth with high functioning ASD. Deep pressure and neurofeedback provided some benefit. All studies were short-term and included small sample sizes. Large scale and long term RCTs examining psychopharmacological and non-psychopharmacological treatments are sorely needed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.