Emotion regulation in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Autistic kids can learn to rethink upsetting events, but only if you teach the skill outright.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Schaaf et al. (2015) watched autistic and neurotypical kids aged 8-18 handle upsetting pictures.
They asked each child to use two tools: cognitive reappraisal (think about it differently) and suppression (hide the feeling).
The team then scored how well each group used the tools and how much the tools helped.
What they found
Autistic youth felt the same initial punch of emotion as their peers.
They used reappraisal less often and suppression more often.
When the staff gave a prompt, many could reappraise and felt better—if they could come up with the new thought themselves.
How this fits with other research
Berkovits et al. (2017) looked at younger autistic kids and saw emotion dysregulation stay flat for ten months without help.
That lines up with C et al.—skills do not grow on their own.
Thomson et al. (2015) and Anthony et al. (2020) ran the very CBT programs C et. al. call for; both found gains after direct teaching, proving the idea works when you try it.
Rieffe et al. (2007) showed autistic 8-11-year-olds already struggle to name feelings, so asking them to reappraise without training is like asking someone to fix a bike they cannot see.
Why it matters
Do not wait for autistic clients to "pick up" reappraisal. Start with scripted lessons, visual scaffolds, and plenty of practice. Check that the child can first label emotions, then coach the reappraisal step. The payoff is less suppression, less meltdown, and better coping for the whole family.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Emotion dysregulation is not a formal criterion for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, parents and clinicians have long noted the importance of emotional problems in individuals with ASD (e.g. tantrums and "meltdowns"). In this study, 21 high-functioning children and adolescents with ASD and 22 age and gender group-matched typically developing (TD) controls completed a Reactivity and Regulation Situation Task. This task assesses emotional reactivity and spontaneous use of emotion regulation strategies (problem solving, cognitive reappraisal, avoidance, distraction, venting, suppression, and relaxation) in the context of age-appropriate ambiguous and potentially threatening negative scenarios. After the concept of cognitive reappraisal was explained, the scenarios were presented again to participants, and they were prompted to use this strategy. Results indicated that individuals with ASD exhibited the same level of reactivity to negative stimuli as TD participants. Furthermore, youth with ASD had a different emotion regulation profile than TD individuals, characterized by a less frequent use of cognitive reappraisal and more frequent use of suppression. When prompted to use cognitive reappraisal, participants with ASD were less able to implement reappraisal, but benefitted from this strategy when they were able to generate a reappraisal. Findings from this study suggest that cognitive reappraisal strategies may be useful to children and adolescents with ASD. Therefore, the development of treatment programs that focus on enhancing the use of adaptive forms of emotion regulation might decrease emotional problems and optimize long-term outcomes in youth with ASD.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2015 · doi:10.1002/aur.1387