A Pilot Study of Cardiovascular Reactivity in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In preparation for a larger case-control study of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anxiety, we conducted a pilot study using a noninvasive electrocardiographic device to measure cardiovascular reactivity in 10 children (age range 9-14) with ASD. The 45-minute procedure included 6 conditions: baseline rest, an interview about school, interim rest, an unfair computerized ball-toss game followed by a fair version of the game, and a final rest. Data were successfully collected for 95% of all conditions.

Development of the Parent-Rated Anxiety Scale for Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Objective: Anxiety is common in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is no accepted outcome measure for anxiety in this population.

Method: Following a series of focus groups with parents of youth with ASD, we generated 72 items (scored 0-3).