Social anxiety in high-functioning children and adolescents with Autism and Asperger syndrome.

Kuusikko et al. (2008) compared high-functioning teens with autism or Asperger syndrome to typical classmates. They used rating scales to measure social anxiety and internalizing problems.

The study asked: do these kids feel more social fear, and does it grow with age?

Teens with ASD scored much higher on social anxiety than peers. Social avoidance got stronger as kids got older.

The gap was big enough to flag for clinical attention.

Kuusikko-Gauffin et al. (2013) later showed the same pattern in parents—mothers of ASD teens carried extra social anxiety too. The family stress runs both up and down.

Bauminger et al. (2003) found these kids already felt twice as lonely years earlier. The 2008 data show the worry keeps building into adolescence.

Kasari et al. (2011) mapped classroom friendships and saw most ASD students stuck on the social edge. The new anxiety numbers explain why they stay there.

Screen every high-functioning teen with ASD for social anxiety at intake. Use a quick parent-youth checklist. If scores climb with age, add anxiety targets to the behavior plan—practice greeting peers, coping statements, and gradual exposure to group work. Treat the worry, not just the social skills.