Anxiety in autism is an important target for psychological therapies because it is very common and because it significantly impacts upon quality of life and well-being. Growing evidence suggests that cognitive behaviour therapies and mindfulness-based therapies can help autistic individuals learn to manage feelings of anxiety but access to such therapies remains problematic. In the current pilot study, we examined whether existing online cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness-based therapy self-help tools can help reduce anxiety in autistic adults. Specifically, 35 autistic adults were asked to try either an existing online cognitive behaviour therapy (n = 16) or mindfulness-based therapy (n = 19) programme while a further 19 autistic adults served as a waitlist comparison group. A first important finding was that 23 of the 35 (66%) participants who tried the online tools completed them, suggesting that such tools are, in principle, acceptable to many autistic adults. In addition, adults in the cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness-based therapy conditions reported significant decreases in anxiety over 3 and to some extent also 6 months that were less apparent in the waitlist group of participants. On broader measures of mental health and well-being, the benefits of the online tools were less apparent. Overall, the results suggest that online self-help cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness-based therapy tools should be explored further as a means of providing cost-effective mental health support to at least those autistic individuals who can engage effectively with such online tools.

Researchers: Sebastian B Gaigg, Paul E Flaxman, Gracie McLaven, Ritika Shah, Dermot M Bowler, Brenda Meyer, Amanda Roestorf, Corinna Haenschel, Jacqui Rodgers, Mikle South

First published: 08 April 2020

Open access article available here: http://hdl.handle.net/1893/31121

Eilidh Cage, along with collaborator Zoe Troxell-Whitman, has just published a new paper looking at the relationships between camouflaging, autistic identity and disclosure. In the study, published as a brief report in Autism in Adulthood, they found that higher autistic identity linked to more disclosure of being autistic, which in turn linked to fewer camouflaging behaviors. This study suggests that strong autistic identity and being openly autistic could reduce camouflaging, which we know has negative effects on mental health. However, to enable disclosure, these findings demonstrate the need for safe spaces where autistic people can explore their identity and be openly autistic, without fear of discrimination.

You should be able to access the paper through the University of Stirling website and clicking ‘request a copy’ or by emailing Eilidh Cage (eilidh.cage@stir.ac.uk).

We are delighted to announce that Dr Monique Botha has been awarded a Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the ESRC, via a competition led by the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science. Monique will be mentored by Dr Eilidh Cage, and the Fellowship gives Monique the opportunity to write up PhD publications, examine new research ideas and develop Monique’s career. Monique’s PhD, at the University of Surrey, looked at autistic community connectedness as a buffer against the effects of minority stress, and you can read some of this excellent research here.

We look forward to welcoming Monique to Stirling in October!

From left to right: Dr Eilidh Cage, Dr Amanda Roestorf and Dr Catherine Grainger

At the start of the new year, we look forward to an exciting 2020!

We welcome two autism researchers as new members of the Stirling Autism Research group.

Dr Eilidh Cage joins as Lecturer in Autism. Eilidh’s research interests include mental health and the experiences of autistic people.

Dr Amanda Roestorf joins as Post-Doctoral Research Assistant. Amanda’s research explores the ways in which remembering to do things in the future (Prospective Memory) affect everyday functioning and well-being across the lifespan.

Find out more about Eilidh and Amanda on our Meet The Team page.