Increasing Confident Thoughts in an Adolescent With Autism: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

• Private events like thoughts and feelings are internal and difficult to address with interventions.
• Precision teaching offers a method for individuals to self-monitor and intervene on private events.
• Previous studies utilized 1-minute timings of positive thoughts for various private events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot the 1-minute positive thought timing procedure for a 15-year-old female with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• To assess the intervention's impact on despondent thoughts, anxiety, and depression.

Main Methods:

• A 15-year-old female diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder participated in the pilot study.
• The participant engaged in a 1-minute positive thought timing intervention.
• Self-counting of targeted private events (despondent thoughts) was employed.
• Anxiety and depression levels were measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory.

Main Results:

• The participant demonstrated a significant reduction in despondent thoughts, with a level drop of ÷4.55.
• Post-intervention measures indicated lower levels of anxiety.
• Post-intervention measures indicated lower levels of depression.

Conclusions:

• The 1-minute positive thought timing intervention shows promise for managing private events in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
• This pilot study suggests a potential therapeutic avenue for reducing negative thoughts, anxiety, and depression in adolescents with ASD.
• Further research is warranted to validate these findings in a larger population.