Attention Bias Modification Training: Efficacy Study of a Novel Treatment for Anxiety in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience the highest rates of anxiety of any single childhood clinical population (i.e., 40 percent co-occurance rates), yet few treatment options have been examined. ASD is characterized by poor communication, social skills deficits, and cognitive difficulties, such as poor recognition of thoughts and feelings of self and others, and difficulties with abstract thinking. These characteristics often limit the efficacy of traditional treatments for youth with anxiety (i.e., cognitive behavioural therapy). In particular, ASD researchers have expressed concerns that autistic characteristics impact therapeutic alliance, and a child's ability to engage in introspection and discuss abstract concepts. As such, there has been a call for additional treatment modalities. This study examines the feasibility and efficacy of a novel evidence based computerized treatment paradigm in reducing anxiety in children with ASD, Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT). Specifically, ABMT trains the participants’ attention towards neutral words (i.e., ‘pillow’) and away from threat words (i.e., ‘anger’) using well-established cognitive methods. In both child and adult populations, ABMT has been shown to reduce attention bias to threat, symptoms of anxiety, and vulnerability to stress, relative to placebo control treatment. This approach has excellent potential to overcome the aforementioned barriers to treating anxiety in children with ASD as it reduces reliance on clinicians, and need for abstract thought and self-recognition. Moreover, ABMT might offer an accessible and cost-effective treatment alternative to treating anxiety in individuals with ASD.