Clinical Update: The Implementation of Evidence-Based Emotion Regulation Treatment for Clients with Autism
Abstract
Autism is more widely recognized and diagnosed than ever before, due in part to broadened diagnostic criteria, heightened awareness of the condition in popular media, and improved early identification. Difficulty with managing intense emotion is common among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Impaired emotion regulation (ER) often leads to clinic referral and crisis situations. This clinical update was prompted by multiple requests from providers, and pleas from parents, for guidance on how to best manage ER difficulties in children and adolescents with ASD. In this article, we summarize the nature of ER problems in ASD, provide a synthesis of the treatment research in this area, and provide suggestions for clinicians who do not necessarily specialize in ASD but may get referrals of this nature. It is our view that many mental health clinicians possess the competence to utilize evidence-based interventions to treat ER problems, and need training only on individualizing treatment for clients with ASD, to better meet the needs of this growing patient group.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Autistic children and adolescents have difficulties managing their emotions and difficulties describing their feelings and expressing emotions (alexithymia).
“Los niños y adolescentes autistas tienen dificultades para gestionar sus emociones (White et al., 2021) y dificultades para describir sus sentimientos y expresar sus emociones (alexitimia).”
From Ansiedad y trastornos del espectro del autismo: notas para la intervención psicoeducativa (2022) · cites this paper as White et al., 2021
Cites
Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review
Aldao, A., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Schweizer, S. (2010) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.11.004 · Cited by 6,686 · cited 1× · see citing works
“A substantial evidence base supports impaired ER as a mechanism underlying mental health problems ranging from substance abuse to depression to anxiety in general populations (Aldao et al., 2010; Sharp et al., 2011).”
BackgroundCurran, G. M., Bauer, M., Mittman, B., Pyne, J. M., & Stetler, C. (2012) · Medical Care · doi:10.1097/mlr.0b013e3182408812 · Cited by 4,058 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Implementation science approaches, including hybrid efficacy-implemen-tation trials (Curran et al., 2012) and larger scale implementation studies to understand factors that affect adaptation and sustained use in the targeted context (Chambers et al., 2013; Proctor et al., 2015; Shelton & Cooper,…”
BackgroundThe dynamic sustainability framework: addressing the paradox of sustainment amid ongoing change
Chambers, D. A., Glasgow, R. E., & Stange, K. C. (2013) · Implementation Science · doi:10.1186/1748-5908-8-117 · Cited by 1,724 · see citing works
Gu, J., Strauss, C., Bond, R., & Cavanagh, K. (2015) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.006 · Cited by 1,712 · cited 1× · see citing works
“There is appeal to using MBIs in that they may directly target emotional dysregulation (Gu et al., 2015; White et al., 2014).”
BackgroundCompas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Bettis, A. H., Watson, K. H., Gruhn, M. A., Dunbar, J. P., Williams, E., & Thigpen, J. C. (2017) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000110 · Cited by 1,555 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Indeed, impaired ER has been associated with several forms of psychopathology and behavioral difficulties, such as anxiety, depression, and aggression (Compas et al., 2017; Gumora & Arsenio, 2002; Hubbard, 2001).”
BackgroundThe Sustainability of Evidence-Based Interventions and Practices in Public Health and Health Care
Shelton, R. C., Cooper, B. R., & Stirman, S. W. (2018) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-014731 · Cited by 806 · see citing works
Psychiatric Comorbidity and Medication Use in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Buck, T. R., Viskochil, J., Farley, M., Coon, H., McMahon, W. M., Morgan, J., & Bilder, D. A. (2014) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2170-2 · Cited by 323 · see citing works
White, S. W., Mazefsky, C. A., Dichter, G. S., Chiu, P. H., Richey, J. A., & Ollendick, T. H. (2014) · International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2014.05.012 · Cited by 252 · see citing works
Self-citationCognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety in Children With High-Functioning Autism: A Meta-analysis
Sukhodolsky, D. G., Bloch, M. H., Panza, K. E., & Reichow, B. (2013) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2013-1193 · Cited by 234 · see citing works
Ung, D., Selles, R., Small, B. J., & Storch, E. A. (2015) · Child Psychiatry & Human Development · doi:10.1007/s10578-014-0494-y · Cited by 231 · see citing works
Moree, B. N., & Davis, T. E. (2010) · Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2009.10.015 · Cited by 220 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Clinicians are also encouraged to work closely with caregivers throughout treatment, to maximize the appropriateness of the treatment, and to increase generalization to real-life experiences (Kerns et al., 2016; Moree & Davis, 2010).”
BackgroundMaddox, B. B., Crabbe, S., Beidas, R. S., Brookman-Frazee, L., Cannuscio, C. C., Miller, J. S., Nicolaidis, C., & Mandell, D. S. (2020) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361319882227 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
Mazefsky, C. A., Yu, L., White, S. W., Siegel, M., & Pilkonis, P. A. (2018) · Autism Research · doi:10.1002/aur.1947 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Self-citationScarpa, A., & Reyes, N. M. (2011) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s1352465811000063 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
White, S. W., Simmons, G. L., Gotham, K. O., Conner, C. M., Smith, I. C., Beck, K. B., & Mazefsky, C. A. (2018) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-018-0949-0 · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Self-citationConner, C. M., White, S. W., Beck, K. B., Golt, J., Smith, I. C., & Mazefsky, C. A. (2019) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361318810709 · Cited by 150 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Recent studies suggest that direct remediation of ER impairment in ASD is a viable treatment goal (Conner et al., 2019; Weiss et al., 2018).”
BackgroundSelf-citationMcGillivray, J. A., & Evert, H. T. (2014) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2087-9 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
The role of emotion regulation on co-occurring psychopathology in emerging adults with ASD
Charlton, A. S., Smith, I. C., Mazefsky, C. A., & White, S. W. (2020) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-03983-5 · Cited by 47 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…on ER in ASD suggests that ER impairment functions similarly in ASD as it does in the general population—as a transdiagnostic mechanism that can manifest in a range of behavioral and mental health problems (Charlton et al., 2019; Damiano et al., 2014; Mazefsky & White, 2014; White et al., 2014).”
BackgroundOutcomes of an emotion regulation intervention group in young adults with autism spectrum disorder
Hartmann, K., Urbano, M. R., Raffaele, C. T., Kreiser, N. L., Williams, T. V., Qualls, L. R., & Elkins, D. E. (2019) · Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic · doi:10.1521/bumc.2019.83.3.259 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Ansiedad y trastornos del espectro del autismo: notas para la intervención psicoeducativa
Sánchez-Cueva, M. S., Alcantud Marín, F., & Alonso-Esteban, Y. (2022) · Siglo Cero: Revista Española sobre Discapacidad Intelectual · doi:10.14201/scero2022534930 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- White, S. W., Conner, C. M., Beck, K. B., & Mazefsky, C. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Alabama (US)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Corresponding author
- White, Susan W.
- Venue
- Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2020-10-02
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-10
- ISSN
- 2379-4925 (ISSN-L)
- 2379-4933
- OpenAlex
- W3091706041
- Cited by
- 20
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 1.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, emotion regulation, evidence-based treatment, children and adolescents, mental health professionals, crisis management, personalized treatment
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
