Tag Archives: AVA – Mental and Physical Health

Implementing Modified CBT in a Group Format to Treat Anxiety in Children with ASD: Insights for Parents, Clinicians, and Researchers

Filmed April 2017 – edited into 3 parts; total 19 minutes

Dr. Krista Johnston has had a long standing interest in the modification of CBT for children with ASD. In this 20 minute presentation, Dr. Johnson highlights the growing evidence that group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatments to address mental health issues, such as anxiety, are promising alternatives to standard individual CBT treatments for children with ASD. However, despite high demand, group treatments are often not available in the community – greater progress is needed to translate knowledge from academic/healthcare research settings to everyday practice in the community.

The Facing Your Fears program is a manualized and evidence-based (Reaven et al., 2011), modified CBT group treatment for children with ASD and anxiety disorders. Clinician-researchers at BC Children’s Hospital have administered 15 of these groups to children between the ages of 8 and 13 and their parents over the last five years. A selection of research findings will be shared.

The presentation will include information to support parents in recognizing anxiety and seeking appropriate services as well as information for professionals interested in learning more about clinical and research efforts related to increasing community accessibility of group treatments targeting mental health concerns.

Learning Objectives
  • Cite research on a group treatment program for treating anxiety in ASD.
  • Translate clinical research in a tertiary-care setting to community-level implementation.
  • Recognize anxiety in ASD.
  • Discuss clinical and research challenges associated with offering group treatments for children with comorbid mental health issues in community settings.
Krista Johnston, PhD

Krista Johnston, PhD, graduated in Clinical Psychology specializing in Autism and Developmental Disorders with special interest in mental health in ASD. She has worked with individuals with ASD and their families for 16 years and is currently completing her residency at BC Children’s Hospital.

Part 1: Need for anxiety treatment, Barriers for families and clinicians, and treatment using CBT

Part 2: Comparison of group treatment options in a real-world example

Part 3: Next steps

  • Bridging the gap between research and practice
  • Improving cost effectiveness for use in private practice
  • Consultation, support, and training for clinicians

Mental Health Challenges in ASD: Perspectives of adults with ASD and professionals who work with adults

Filmed April 2017 – edited into 4 parts; total 54 minutes

This fascinating panel discussion provides positive, practical insights offered by autistic individuals, clinicians and researchers on the complex realities facing individuals with autism with mental health conditions, primarily anxiety and depression.

This panel was recorded at ACT’s 13th Annual Focus on Research Conference held in 2017- Autism & Mental Health – Looking Beyond Autism – to provide a forum to discuss common co-occurring mental health conditions with the goal of encouraging equitable access to mental health services for people with ASD across the lifespan.

Panelists:

Kenneth Binnie & Allixe Galloway: autistic adults providing their personal insights

David Worling, PhD, Registered Psychologist, Director, West Coast Child Development Group, Vancouver 

Grace Iarocci, PhD, Registered Psychologist, Professor of Psychology, Simon Fraser University

Jonathan Weiss, PhD, Registered Psychologist, Canadian Institute of Health Research Chair in ASD Treatment and Care, Associate Professor of Psychology, York University

Part 1: Allixe Galloway – Impact of mental health on career and personal life

Part 2: Kenneth Binnie

Part 3: David Worling

Part 4: Q&A

  • Gender identity (Start of video)
  • Rates, risk, and prevention of suicide (1:53)
  • Differences in mental health between individuals with ASD and the general population (3:14)
  • Perspective of adults with ASD: Useful tools and therapy (7:05)
  • What would you have liked your family or peers to better understand about you when you were younger? (12:08)
  • What do you think is required to be an expert so that individuals with autism can become more involved? (14:09)
  • First Nations communities living with ASD and the impact of inter-generational trauma (18;35)
  • Thoughts on being an observer (21:34)
  • Suggestions for assisting people with anxiety to engage in treatment (26:19)

The Relationship between Anxiety and Social Competence

Filmed April 2017 – edited into 3 parts; total 25 minutes

The relationship between the symptoms of anxiety, depression and social functioning among children, with and without ASD, are poorly understood. In this 25 minute presentation, Dr. Grace Iarocci presents a study into whether generalized anxiety and depression symptoms in children ages 6-14, with and without autism, were associated with social competence, after accounting for IQ, age, and gender. Dr. Iarocci will discuss the importance of  assessing both internalizing symptoms and social difficulties in children with ASD and the implications for treatment.

Learning Objectives
  • Describe the incidence of generalized anxiety and depression symptoms in a school-age community sample of children with and without ASD.
  • Identify assessment measures that can be used to assess anxiety and depression symptoms and social competence in children with and without ASD.
  • Recognize the reciprocal impact of anxiety and depression symptoms on social functioning in children with ASD.
Grace Iarocci, PhD, RPsych

Dr. Iarocci is a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University and the Director of the Autism and Developmental Disorders Lab. Dr. Iarocci is also a practicing psychologist in BC who specializes in assessment, diagnosis and interventions for children and adults with ASD.

Part 1: Background and reflections on anxiety in people with ASD

Part 2: Environmental conditions that may maintain anxiety

Part 3: Study on anxiety and social competence –

 

Ready Set Coach: Supporting Children with ASD in Community Recreation

Filmed March 2014 – edited into 14 parts; total 224 minutes

This one day event is for recreation instructors and coaches who want to understand how to teach kids with autism in swimming lessons, skating programs, soccer programs, fitness instruction, and other community recreation activities. It will also be useful for parents who want to understand more about how to help their kids participate in community sports, and for PE teachers who want to know more about autism. The presentation includes an introduction to autism, outline different coaching strategies and provides an introduction to key skills and techniques that are proven to be successful with kids with autism. Dr. Jull discusses a number of case study examples in different types of sports and show many videos of coaches working effectively to teach kids with autism a variety of skills.

About the Presenter

Stephanie Jull, Ph.D., is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and completed her Ph.D. at UBC researching the impact of training staff in community-based recreation settings to support children with ASD in swimming lessons. Dr. Jull works as a Program Director with Canucks Autism Network.

Part 1: Introduction & About CAN (20:35)

Part 2: ASD and Characteristics in Rec Setting (27:08)

Part 3: Why Recreation Activities are Important and How Families Make Choices (14:53)

Part 4: Individual Support – Common Sense Strategies (12:37)

Part 5: Individual Support – Communication Strategies (20:15)

Part 6: Individual Support – Helping Strategies: Modeling, Physical Guidance, White Board (11:37)

Part 7: Individual Support – Motivate Strategies (15:22)

Part 8: Individual Support – Visual Support: Wait Card, Visual Cues (13:00)

Part 9: Individual Support – Visual Support: Contingency Maps, Token Board, Timer (12:12)

Part 10: Individual Support – Offer Choices, Social Story, Sensory Issue, Task Analysis (12:18)

Part 11: Review and Demo of Activities (15:13)

Part 12: Individual Support – Video Modeling & Use of Technology (18:29)

Part 13: Challenging Behavior & Group Coaching (18:41)

Part 14: Staff Training & Ending (11:12)

 

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