Understanding, Assessing, and Intervening with Emotion Dysregulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Developmental Perspective

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2021 Apr;30(2):335-348. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2020.10.013.

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive review of emotion dysregulation (ED) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The authors describe ED from a developmental perspective, and highlight how aberrations in social development and a restricted-repetitive repertoire of behaviors, render individuals with ASD more vulnerable to ED. The article also summarizes how ED in children and adolescents with ASD has been measured and conceptualized in research and clinic settings. Evidence-based pharmacologic and cognitive behavioral interventions targeting ED in ASD are summarized, with a focus on how such approaches are tailored to the developmental needs of individuals with ASD.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Child development; Emotion regulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder* / therapy
  • Child
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy*
  • Emotions
  • Humans