Fun with Feelings: Parent group for children with ASD and anxiety
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Fun with Feelings: A Parent-Based Intervention for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anxiety Difficulties
IRAS ID
213121
Contact name
Jacqui Rodgers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Fun with Feelings: a parent-mediated, manualised group intervention to help parents understand and manage anxiety difficulties in young children (4 - 6 years) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Young children with ASD are often likely to experience high levels of anxiety. Those higher levels of anxiety can be linked to increased amounts of ASD signs and functional loss above and beyond the ASD signs. It is therefore important to offer evidence-based anxiety treatments early in development.
Currently, there is a dearth of research examining anxiety interventions for young children with ASD. This study would provide pilot data to support the feasibility and acceptability of a novel parent-mediated, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) group intervention for anxiety in 4-6 year old children with ASD (Fun with Feelings; Ford, Plows, & Garnett, 2013), to determine its suitability for delivery via NHS services. Fun with Feelings, developed by colleagues in Australia, has undergone some preliminary evaluation (Cook et al, under review) and shows promise as a suitable and effective anxiety intervention for young children with ASD.
Fun with Feelings group intervention aims to decrease anxiety symptoms by helping children and parents recognise anxious feelings and physiological reactions to anxiety; understand the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviour in relation to anxiety; and practice CBT based coping strategies to regulate difficult emotions. Parents are instructed in CBT strategies and skills which they in turn teach to their children. The intervention consists of nine weekly sessions, each of 90 minutes duration, followed by one booster session, conducted one month later. Group sessions will be held in NHS clinical settings. Parents will complete baseline measures before the intervention and follow-up measures immediately after the booster session, six weeks after the booster sessions and six months after the booster session.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NE/0322
Date of REC Opinion
12 Oct 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion