Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Approximately 70% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have considerable emotional and behavioural challenges, meeting criteria for at least one mental health disorder. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has been shown to be helpful in reducing these problems, but only a portion of children with ASD significantly improve as a result of therapy. It is, therefore, critical to identify what leads to treatment success. Differences in treatment outcomes can partially be explained by the collaborative relationship between therapist and patient, known as the therapeutic alliance. This relationship is recognized as a significant predictor of treatment success for both children and adults involved in CBT. For children with ASD, many factors may impact the therapeutic alliance, such as severity of ASD and mental health symptoms, and their motivation to participate in therapy. At the same time, therapist skills, and their ability to accommodate the specific needs of children with ASD may also influence the therapeutic alliance. Little research has focused on how child and therapist factors influence the quality of therapeutic alliance in CBT for children with ASD. The purpose of my proposed research is to improve therapeutic outcomes for this group of children, by determining how child characteristics and therapist skills influence therapeutic alliance, and if therapeutic alliance predicts treatment success. There is a great need for effective mental health interventions for children with ASD. This study will be the first to identify the child and therapist factors that impact the therapeutic alliance, and will provide information about how therapeutic alliance leads to successful outcomes following CBT for children with ASD. The findings from this study will be used to educate therapists on the skills needed to develop a strong alliance, and ultimately maximize the benefits of mental health intervention for this population.