Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29687457›Full record

Trial reportJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines2018

A randomized waitlist-controlled trial of cognitive behavior therapy to improve emotion regulation in children with autism.

Jonathan A Weiss, Kendra Thomson, Priscilla Burnham Riosa, Carly Albaum, Victoria Chan, Andrea Maughan, Paula Tablon, Karen Black

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 59 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
59citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

59 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Meta-analysis of Psychotherapy for Autistic Youth.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026
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  7. Implications of cooccurring ADHD for the cognitive behavioural treatment of anxiety in autistic children.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2025
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  15. Cognitive reappraisal modulates neural responses to aversive sensory stimulation in autistic youth.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jonathan A WeissDepartment of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-5849-7334
Kendra ThomsonDepartment of Applied Disability Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada.
Priscilla Burnham RiosaDepartment of Applied Disability Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada.
Carly AlbaumDepartment of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Victoria ChanDepartment of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Andrea MaughanDepartment of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Paula TablonDepartment of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Karen BlackDepartment of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Funding

CIHR RN284208
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMental health problems are common among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and difficulties with emotion regulation processes may underlie these issues. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is considered an efficacious treatment for anxiety in children with ASD. Additional research is needed to examine the efficacy of a transdiagnostic treatment approach, whereby the same treatment can be applied to multiple emotional problems, beyond solely anxiety. The purpose of the present study was to examine the efficacy of a manualized and individually delivered 10-session, transdiagnostic CBT intervention, aimed at improving emotion regulation and mental health difficulties in children with ASD.

methodsSixty-eight children (M age = 9.75, SD = 1.27) and their parents participated in the study, randomly allocated to either a treatment immediate (n = 35) or waitlist control condition (n = 33) (ISRCTN #67079741). Parent-, child-, and clinician-reported measures of emotion regulation and mental health were administered at baseline, postintervention/postwaitlist, and at 10-week follow-up.

resultsChildren in the treatment immediate condition demonstrated significant improvements on measures of emotion regulation (i.e., emotionality, emotion regulation abilities with social skills) and aspects of psychopathology (i.e., a composite measure of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, adaptive behaviors) compared to those in the waitlist control condition. Treatment gains were maintained at follow-up.

conclusionsThis study is the first transdiagnostic CBT efficacy trial for children with ASD. Additional investigations are needed to further establish its relative efficacy compared to more traditional models of CBT for children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Indexed as

Emotional IntelligenceAdultAutism Spectrum DisorderChildCognitive Behavioral TherapyFemaleHumansMaleParentsWaiting ListsAutism spectrum disordercognitive behavior therapyemotion regulationmental healthtreatment

Identifiers

PMID29687457
PMCPMC6220772

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.