Anxiety in Autism: Mediating Role in Academic Behaviour & Skills Development - Research Paper

Introduction

Anxiety is a psychiatric condition that co-occurs with an autism spectrum disorder. There is a high prevalence of anxiety amongst the children with autism compared to the general population, and there is a significant challenge in differentiating anxiety from autism because they share similar symptoms constructs (Lecavalier, Smith, Johnson, Bearss... & Scahill, 2017). This proposal seeks to identify the mediating role of anxiety in academic behavior and skills development of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

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Literature Review

According to Miranda, Mira, Berenguer, Rosello, and Baixauli (2019), there is a direct mediating role in behavior and skills in children who have been diagnosed with autism which is a primary worry to parents. Anxiety causes behavioral problems that coincide with the persistent impairments in social skills, language and function of daily activities. Kerns, Wood, Kendall, Renno ... and Small (2016) agrees with Miranda et al. (2019) that anxiety in children with autism is a significant mediating factor in behavior and also the acquisition of social skills. Being a persistent problem, it becomes difficult to diagnose and also treat anxiety in children with autism due to common symptoms presentation. There is a significant gap in research on the impact of anxiety on the successful development of academic behavior amongst children with autism.

Research Questions

1. What is the mediating role of anxiety in children with autism in the development of academic behavior?
2. What is the impact of concurrent anxiety and autism management on academic performance in children?
3. What is the impact of professional and specialized autism support on the development of academic behavior and skills in children with concurrent Autism and anxiety?

Research Objective

The primary objective of this research is to identify how anxiety in children with Autism affects their academic behavior and skills acquisition.

Research Significance

This research will be significant in improving the understanding of the mediating role of anxiety in the academic behavior and skills acquisition in children with autism spectrum.

Research Methodology

Qualitative Research Design

The most effective approach of creating knowledge and data on the mediating role of anxiety in the academic performance and skills development in children with Autism can be understood by conducting a qualitative research using a survey on parents of children with Autism within a specific school district. The qualitative study will identify the experiences of the parents in their children performances and the potential challenges posed by the concurrence of anxiety and Autism in their children (Rahman, 2017).

References

Kerns, C. M., Wood, J. J., Kendall, P. C., Renno, P., Crawford, E. A., Mercado, R. J., ... & Small, B. J. (2016). The treatment of anxiety in autism spectrum disorder (TAASD) study: Rationale, design and methods. Journal of child and family studies, 25(6), 1889-1902. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-016-0372-2

Lecavalier, L., Smith, T., Johnson, C., Bearss, K., Swiezy, N., Aman, M. G., ... & Scahill, L. (2017). Moderators of parent training for disruptive behaviors in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 45(6), 1235-1245. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5459681/

Miranda, A., Mira, A., Berenguer, C., Rosello, B., & Baixauli, I. (2019). Parenting stress in mothers of children with autism without intellectual disability. Mediation of behavioral problems and coping strategies. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 464. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6418028/

Rahman, M. S. (2017). The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches and Methods in Language" Testing and Assessment" Research: A Literature Review. Journal of Education and Learning, 6(1), 102-112. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1120221.pdf