Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40332656›Full record

Trial reportJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026

Social Responsiveness as a Mediator in Adapted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Autistic Youth with Maladaptive and Interfering Anxiety.

Jeffrey J Wood, Eric A Storch, Katherine Sung, Karen S Wood, Philip C Kendall

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

Trial report in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

5 authors.

Jeffrey J WoodDepartment of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. jeffwood@ucla.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0759-6156
Eric A StorchDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Katherine SungDepartment of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Karen S WoodDepartment of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Philip C KendallDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Funding

1/3 Treatment of Anxiety in Autism Spectrum DisorderR01HD080098 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI WOOD, JEFFREY JAMES · 2014 to 2016
$663k
3/3 Treatment of anxiety in autism spectrum disorderR01HD080097 · NICHD · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · PI KENDALL, PHILIP C · 2014 to 2016
$563k
2/3 Treatment of Anxiety in Autism Spectrum DisorderR01HD080096 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA · PI STORCH, ERIC A. · 2014 to 2016
$471k
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development R01HD080096National Institute of Child Health and Human Development R01HD080097National Institute of Child Health and Human Development R01HD080098NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD080096NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD080097NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD080098
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Numerous adaptations to interventions have been included in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for autistic youth. This study examines the degree to which CBT adapted to the social needs of autistic youth confers significant benefit by promoting social responsiveness. A secondary analysis was conducted on a multisite randomized clinical trial (Wood et al. in JAMA Psychiatry 77:474-483, 2020) comparing adapted CBT with standard-of-practice CBT and treatment-as-usual (TA). Autistic youth (N = 167; aged 7-13) with maladaptive and interfering anxiety participated. The adapted CBT (BIACA) uses a modular format, with an emphasis on supplementing common CBT practice elements (reframing and graded exposure) with social skill supports. The primary outcome measure was the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale. Social responsiveness was assessed with the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition. Participants' general mental health was assessed as a secondary outcome using the Brief Problem Checklist. Mediation was tested using the SPSS PROCESS macro. Analyses suggested that the effect of adapted CBT on anxiety was mediated by its effects on social responsiveness, with a statistically significant indirect effect. Youth randomly assigned to adapted CBT exhibited better overall mental health at posttreatment compared to those randomized to the other conditions, and this effect was also mediated by improved social responsiveness. CBT adapted to address some of the social needs of autistic youth may enhance mental health outcomes by supporting social responsiveness, perhaps increasing the ease and effectiveness with which some youth can navigate potentially stressful situations such as entering and participating in group activities.

Indexed as

AnxietyAutism Spectrum DisorderAutistic DisorderCognitive Behavioral TherapySocial BehaviorSocial SkillsAdolescentChildFemaleHumansMaleTreatment OutcomeAnxietyAutismCognitive-behavioral therapySocial responsiveness

Identifiers

PMID40332656
PMCPMC13538194

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.