Diagnosis and Therapeutic Interventions in Autism Spectrum Disorders in Adulthood

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by disturbed social interaction and communication as well as stereotyped or repetitive behaviors and interests. Although adults with ASD often acquire complex compensatory strategies that help them master social situations in a rule-based fashion, they still show impairments in intuitive processing of social signals and especially nonverbal communication in complex everyday situations. This constitutes a particular challenge for the psychotherapy of ASD. Psychotherapists are required to explicitly inform and act as an agent of the non-autistic world to enable patients to acquire the ability to take different perspectives. The overall aim of cognitive behavioral therapy interventions addressing ASD in adulthood is to extend the patients' behavioral repertoire to improve their quality of life. Thus, besides psychoeducation on ASD and its frequently associated comorbidities, psychotherapy for adults with ASD should focus on the training and development of social-communicative skills. Furthermore, dealing with stress in everyday situations is an important aspect of psychotherapy of these patients.