Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May;53(5):1942-1962.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-022-05461-x. Epub 2022 Feb 9.

Regulating Together: Emotion Dysregulation Group Treatment for ASD Youth and Their Caregivers

Rebecca C Shaffer  1   2 , Lauren M Schmitt  3   4 , Debra L Reisinger  3   5 , Marika Coffman  3   6 , Paul Horn  3   4 , Matthew S Goodwin  7 , Carla Mazefsky  8 , Shelley Randall  3 , Craig Erickson  3   4
Affiliations

Regulating Together: Emotion Dysregulation Group Treatment for ASD Youth and Their Caregivers

Rebecca C Shaffer et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2023 May.

Abstract

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience behavioral and emotional symptoms hypothesized to arise from emotion dysregulation (ED), difficulty modulating emotional experience, expression, and intensity in an acceptable and contextually appropriate manner. We developed Regulating Together (RT)-an intensive-outpatient, caregiver-assisted group program to meet the ASD + ED intervention critical need. A within-subjects trial was conducted (5-week-control lead-in period, 5-week-treatment, and 5-and 10-weeks-post-treatment follow-ups). Forty-four youth with ASD + ED (25 8-12, 19 13-18 yr-olds, 88% male, mean FSIQ of 96) participated. Improvements were found in reactivity, emotion regulation knowledge, and flexibility post-treatment and 10-weeks post-treatment. A reduction in inpatient hospitalization rates by 16% from the 12 months pre-RT to 12 months post-RT was observed. RT shows promise to reduce ED in ASD.

Keywords: Autism; Autism spectrum disorder; Emotion dysregulation; Emotion regulation; Group therapy; Mindfulness; Reactivity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Rebecca Shaffer and Lauren Schmitt are authors of the Regulating Together curriculum and receive compensation for Regulating Together training to clinicians. All other authors have no conflicts of interest related to this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Evidenced-based components that comprise Regulating Together
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Consort Diagram of Study Procedures
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Caregiver measures including a caregiver confidence pre- and post-treatment, b caregiver readiness pre-treatment, and c caregiver learning, satisfaction, and child skill use post-treatment. Adolescent ratings of learning and emotions d are also presented
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Afshari A, Neshat-Doost HT, Maracy MR, Ahmady MK, Amiri S. The effective comparison between emotion-focused cognitive behavioral group therapy and cognitive behavioral group therapy in children with separation anxiety disorder. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences: THe Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. 2014;19(3):221–227. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Afshari, B., Omidi, A., & Ahmadvand, A. (2020). Effects of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Executive Functions, Emotion Regulation, and Mindfulness in Bipolar Disorder. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 50.
    1. Ahmed SP, Bittencourt-Hewitt A, Sebastian CL. Neurocognitive bases of emotion regulation development in adolescence. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 2015;15:11–25. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2015.07.006. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aman, M., & Singh, N. N. (2017). Aberrant Behavior Scale- Second Edition. Slosson.
    1. Aman MG, McDougle CJ, Scahill L, Handen BL, Arnold LE, Johnson CR, Stigler KA, Bearss K, Butter E, Swiezy NA, Sukhodolsky DG, Ramada Y, Pozdol SL, Nikolov R, Lecavalier L, Kohn AE, Koenig K, Hollway JA, Korzekwa P, Gavaletz A, Mulick JA, Hall KL, Dziura J, Ritz L, Trollinger S, Yu S, Vitiello B, Wagner A, RUOPPA Network Medication and parent training in children with pervasive developmental disorders and serious behavior problems: Results from a randomized clinical trial. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2009;48(12):1143–1154. doi: 10.1097/CHI.0b013e3181bfd669. - DOI - PMC - PubMed