Variation in the Profile of Anxiety Disorders in Boys with an ASD According to Method and Source of Assessment.

The team looked at 64 boys with autism and 43 boys without autism.

All boys were 7 to 18 years old.

Parents filled out one anxiety checklist.

The boys filled out a different anxiety checklist.

Researchers compared the two sets of scores.

Boys with autism scored higher on anxiety than typical boys.

Parents and boys did not pick the same fears.

Younger boys showed different fear patterns than older boys.

The source of the report mattered as much as the anxiety itself.

Boudreau et al. (2015) pooled 49 studies and found only moderate agreement (r = .36) between any two reporters.

That meta-analysis supports the mismatch Vicki saw.

Greene et al. (2019) later added teachers and found almost half of students with autism were rated anxious at school.

Together the three papers form a triangle: parent, child, and teacher views each add unique data.

Cox et al. (2015) showed CBT can cut anxiety in autistic youth, but their long-term follow-up revealed some symptoms crept back.

Because reports differ, use more than one informant both at intake and at booster checks.

If you screen for anxiety with only a parent interview, you will miss some problems and over-count others.

Collect at least two sources—parent plus child or teacher—before you write a treatment plan.

Note the child’s age; fear profiles shift as kids grow.

This quick step keeps your baseline clean and your progress data honest.