Anxious Imagery in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Investigation into Occurrence, Content, Features and Implications for Therapy.
Ann Ozsivadjian, Matthew J Hollocks, Jess Southcott and 2 others
PMID 27328680WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism and high anxiety reported spontaneous anxious imagery more often and more frequently than anxious children without autism.
These images were rated as more upsetting. However, the characteristics of the images, such as vividness and controllability, did not differ significantly between the groups.
Key findings
01A higher percentage of children with ASD and high anxiety reported at least one spontaneous anxious image compared to non-ASD children with high anxiety.
02When controlling for age, IQ, and general imagery use, children with ASD and high anxiety, non-ASD children with high anxiety, and children with ASD and low anxiety all reported a greater total number of anxious images than non-ASD children with low anxiety.
03There were no significant differences between the groups in the vividness, controllability, or realism of the spontaneous anxious images.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Anxiety was not measured using a formal diagnostic interview, so specific subtypes of anxiety could not be established. The non-ASD anxious group was recruited from a neurosciences centre, which may have introduced bias regarding co-occurring conditions. The study did not include inter-rater reliability checks for the qualitative content of the images, relying instead on quantitative ratings. The sample size was relatively small, limiting the generalisability of the findings.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the imagery itself is more vivid, realistic, or uncontrollable in children with ASD compared to anxious children without ASD. The study found no significant differences in these characteristics. The primary difference was in the frequency and number of images reported, and how upsetting they were found to be.