Dear Mr. Choi,
We would like to thank you for your recent article, Yen for routine seeds anxiety in autistic children, highlighting the increased prevalence of anxiety in individuals with autism. Research suggests there is a higher prevalence of anxiety in individuals with autism when compared to the neurotypical population. The study described in your article, conducted by Baribou et al. (2019), found that insistence on sameness in young children could be a predictor for future anxiety. This finding has important implications, as interventions designed to help children on the autism spectrum build flexibility and tolerate uncertainty may reduce or prevent the development of anxiety later in life. Sharing accurate information about new research about autism and its treatment is important to help parents and professionals make informed decisions about supporting children and young people with autism. In particular, information about how to help children on the autism spectrum tolerate uncertainty and cope with changes is so important for both parents and professionals. We hope this information helps parents and professionals support children who exhibit difficulties in these areas, as such supports may greatly improve health and wellbeing outcomes for children on the spectrum as they get older. However, as Professor Catherine Lord pointed out in the article, the data collected to date on this issue has mostly relied on parent reports of child behavior. Longitudinal studies in which multiple sources of information are gathered and compared (for example, parent reports, professional assessments, and direct observations of children and their behavior) may strengthen the findings. We look forward to reading future research in this area. Your efforts to accurately share information about autism and its treatment did not go unnoticed and can only aid in the promotion of scientific based interventions for children and adults with autism. We invite you to explore our website for more information on evidence-based approaches for supporting children with autism, and hope you will consider sharing this information with your readers.
Sincerely,
Kait Evoy, B.A.
Dr. Erin Leif PhD., BCBA-D
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
