Evidence-based review for anxiety screening of school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Currently, there is no guidance on screening tools for anxiety in children aged 6-12 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) recommend screening children for anxiety. However, screening tools for pediatric anxiety do not account for different manifestations of anxiety in pediatric patients with ASD. The purpose of this project is to conduct a literature review on the available screening tools for pediatric anxiety to determine the ideal screening tool for children with ASD and to incorporate these findings into a training module for nurses and practitioners in the Hawaii Keiki (HK) Healthy and Ready to Learn Program. The Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) was identified as the most ideal screening tool for anxiety in school-aged children with ASD, and an education module was successfully developed and implemented. The results indicate that not only can an education module be implemented at HK as the best practice for new and existing staff on a regular basis which can assist in increasing healthcare professionals’ understanding and comfort of regularly screening as appropriate. Implications of this study were also discussed, particularly in their application in practice. The results of this project provide preliminary evidence to support the notion that an education module can increase healthcare professionals’ comfort with using the SCAS to screen for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder.