Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40631408›Full record

Trial reportJournal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines2025

Implications of cooccurring ADHD for the cognitive behavioural treatment of anxiety in autistic children.

Elise Ng-Cordell, Eric A Storch, Philip C Kendall, Jeffrey J Wood, Amori Yee Mikami, Connor M Kerns

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

Trial report in Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

6 authors.

Elise Ng-CordellDepartment of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4747-8138
Eric A StorchDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Philip C KendallDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Jeffrey J WoodDepartment of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Amori Yee MikamiDepartment of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Connor M KernsDepartment of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-0832-8329

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
Developing measures for community-based research on trauma and related conditions in ASDK23HD087472 · NICHD · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · PI KERNS, CONNOR M · 2016 to 2018
$400k
Canadian Foundation for Innovation 38787Michael Smith Health Research BC SCH-2021-1709NICHD NIH HHS K23 HD087472NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD080096NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD080097NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD080098NIH HHS R01HD080096NIH HHS R01HD080097NIH HHS R01HD080098University of British Columbia Graduate School
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildhood mental health conditions commonly cooccur, with potential treatment implications. Autistic children frequently experience anxiety and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We investigated the implications of this cooccurrence for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a front-line treatment for anxiety in autistic children. We tested whether (1) ADHD predicts anxiety treatment response, (2) ADHD improves in response to anxiety treatment and (3) ADHD improvement is related to reductions in anxiety.

methodAutistic children with elevated anxiety (N = 167) enrolled in a multisite, randomised controlled trial comparing standard CBT, autism-adapted CBT and treatment as usual. ADHD symptoms and severity were assessed via a parent-report questionnaire and clinical interview, respectively. Linear regressions (questions 1 and 2) and linear mixed models (question 3) were conducted with adjustments for multiple comparisons.

resultsParticipants meeting diagnostic criteria for ADHD (62%) had greater pretreatment anxiety severity and anxiety-related functional impairment, particularly at school. ADHD did not moderate anxiety response following CBT. Receiving CBT (standard or adapted) predicted reduction in evaluator-rated ADHD severity, but not parent-reported symptoms. Reduction in anxiety severity predicted reduction in ADHD symptoms and severity.

conclusionsExisting CBT programmes are suitable for treating anxiety in autistic children with cooccurring ADHD. Future research should identify mechanisms through which CBT for anxiety also mitigates ADHD, with the aim of improving treatment precision and effectiveness.

Indexed as

AnxietyAnxiety DisordersAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityAutism Spectrum DisorderAutistic DisorderCognitive Behavioral TherapyOutcome Assessment, Health CareAdolescentChildComorbidityFemaleHumansMaleanxietyattention deficit/hyperactivity disorderAutismcognitive behavioural therapy

Identifiers

PMID40631408
PMCPMC12338068

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.