Changes in anxiety following a randomized control trial of a theatre-based intervention for youth with autism spectrum disorder.
Blythe A Corbett, Scott D Blain, Sara Ioannou and 1 others
PMID 27154909WHAT IT FOUND
Youth with autism who completed ten weeks of peer-mediated theatre training reported significantly lower persistent anxiety than those on a waitlist.
However, their physiological stress levels, measured by cortisol, did not decrease. The intervention changed how they felt about themselves, not their body's immediate reaction to social pressure.
Key findings
01The experimental group showed a significant reduction in trait anxiety compared to the waitlist control group.
02There was no significant difference between groups in state anxiety or physiological stress markers (cortisol).
03Changes in anxiety were not mediated by changes in observed group play; the direct effect of the intervention remained significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relied solely on self-report for anxiety, which may be unreliable in individuals with ASD due to alexithymia (difficulty identifying and describing emotions). The sample size was small (n=30), and the study was limited to higher-functioning youth (IQ > 70), so results may not generalize to those with intellectual disabilities. Expectancy effects may have inflated self-reported improvements in the experimental group, as participants knew they were receiving treatment. The waitlist control group was not assessed after receiving treatment, limiting the ability to compare long-term effects. Cortisol variability is high in ASD, which may have obscured potential physiological changes.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that the reduction in self-reported trait anxiety means the intervention reduced the child's acute physiological stress or state anxiety. The study found no significant change in cortisol levels or state anxiety, indicating that the intervention may help youth feel less anxious about themselves generally, but does not necessarily change their immediate bodily reaction to social stressors.