Age Differences in Expression of Generalized and Social Anxiety Among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study examined differences in generalized and social anxiety symptoms across two age groups of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while accounting for overall anxiety level, gender, and intellectual functioning. Older children (12-18 years) expressed more overall and social anxiety symptoms than younger children (6-11 years), and social anxiety symptoms were predominant in the older group. Younger children expressed more generalized anxiety symptoms than the older youth, and there was a trend for generalized anxiety symptoms to be more dominant in the younger group. Findings are consistent with theory of differential expression of specific anxiety symptoms across different ages seen with typically developing children, yet social evaluative concerns may be even stronger for adolescents with ASD.