UCLA

The present study sought to explore the strength of the therapeutic alliance as well the association between alliance and outcome in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and clinical anxiety. The TAS-C was administered to a sample of school-aged youth with ASD and anxiety (N=60; ages 7 to 14) as well as their parents and therapists. A sample of typically developing (TD) youth with anxiety (N=36, ages 5 to 11) served as a comparison group. Therapist reports of positive alliance predicted post-treatment reductions in anxiety severity. According to therapist report, the strength of the therapeutic alliance was weaker for youth with ASD than TD youth. The therapeutic alliance can be measured reliability in children with ASD and it appears to be associated with anxiety treatment outcome in this population, although this effect appears to be limited to therapist report of the alliance. These findings suggest that therapeutic alliance may be an important component of CBT for youth with ASD and anxiety.