SynthesisBMC psychology2021
Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety in children and young people on the autism spectrum: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC psychology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 96 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review of Family Accommodation in Autistic Youth: Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Caregiver Satisfaction with Anxiety Treatment for Autistic Youth: A Mixed Methods Examination.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Trial
- Prevention and Reduction of Anxiety in Autistic Preschoolers Through an Autism-Specific Parent-Mediated Intervention: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluating Short and Longer Term Outcomes.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Trial
- Parent-Led Cognitive Behavioral Teletherapy for Anxiety in Autistic Youth: A Randomized Trial Comparing Two Levels of Therapist Support.Behavior therapy · 2024Trial
- "It is Just Too Overwhelming and Constant": Environmental Influences on Anxiety and Depression in Autistic Young People.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Advances in supporting development in autistic children and youth.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2026Review
- Understanding the mechanistic links between neurodevelopmental traits and internalising problems: the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and negative problem orientation.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Umbrella Review: Mental Health Interventions for Autistic Children and Adolescents: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Participatory Equity Synthesis.JAACAP open · 2026Review
- Development and Pilot Testing of Transdiagnostic Exposure Therapy/Behavioral Activation for Autistic Adolescents With Internalizing Disorders.Cognitive and behavioral practice · 2026Article
- An Exploratory Analysis of Child Characteristics Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Parent-Led Cognitive Behavioral Teletherapy for Anxiety in Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Maintenance of Gains in Autistic Teens Receiving a Daily Living Skills Intervention at a 6-Month Follow-Up.Research in autism · 2026Article
- Targeting intolerance of uncertainty in young children diagnosed with autism: A randomized controlled trial of a parent-mediated group intervention.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- From risk to resilience: a narrative overview of modifiable factors influencing anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (part II).Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- Navigating the adaptation of CBT for persons with disabilities in South Africa: An autoethnographic perspective.African journal of disability · 2026Review
- Predictors of Treatment Outcomes in Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Among Autistic Youth With Anxiety Disorders.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Involving Parents in the Management and Treatment of Youth Anxiety.Current psychiatry reports · 2025Review
- The process of co-design for a new anxiety intervention for autistic children.JCPP advances · 2025Article
- Article
- Investigating the Effects of Transdiagnostic Processes on Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Autistic Young People: the Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Network Analysis of Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety and Autism: Discrete but Connected.International journal of developmental neuroscience : the official journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAnxiety is common in youth on the autism spectrum and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been adapted to address associated symptoms. The aim of the current systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the efficacy of CBT for reducing anxiety in autistic youth.
methodSearches of PubMed and Scopus databases were undertaken from January 1990 until December 2020. Studies were included if they consisted of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) using CBT to reduce anxiety in autistic youth. Separate random effects meta-analyses assessed anxiety ratings according to informant (clinician; parent; child), both at end-of-trial and at follow-up.
resultsA total of 19 RCTs met our inclusion criteria (833 participants: CBT N = 487; controls N = 346). Random effects meta-analyses revealed a large effect size for clinician rated symptoms (g = 0.88, 95% CI 0.55, 1.12, k = 11), while those for both parent (g = 0.40, 95% CI 0.24, 0.56; k = 18) and child-reported anxiety (g = 0.25, 95% CI 0.06, 0.43; k = 13) were smaller, but significant. These benefits were not however maintained at follow-up. Moderator analyses showed that CBT was more efficacious for younger children (for clinician and parent ratings) and when delivered as individual therapy (for clinician ratings). Using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool, we found concerns about reporting bias across most trials.
conclusionsThe efficacy of CBT for anxiety in autistic youth was supported in the immediate intervention period. However, substantial inconsistency emerged in the magnitude of benefit depending upon who was rating symptoms (clinician, parent or child). Follow-up analyses failed to reveal sustained benefits, though few studies have included this data. It will be important for future trials to address robustness of treatment gains overtime and to further explore inconsistency in efficacy by informant. We also recommend pre-registration of methods by trialists to address concerns with reporting bias.
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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.