Preliminary Evidence for Associations Between Emotion Dysregulation and Therapy Participation in Young Autistic Children

Participation in early intervention (EI) is associated with improved outcomes for autistic children (Berg et al. in 2024, J Autism Dev Disord, 5:3520–3529). Although emotion dysregulation (ED) is a common challenge in this population, it is rarely a primary target in EI, and the relationship between EI and ED is still unclear. Using data from a large (n = 853) online sample of parents of autistic children, the present study aims to describe therapy participation and history within the sample and to examine associations between therapy history and ED. Speech therapy was the most common intervention, with occupational therapy and behavioral therapy as second and third most common. A number of associations were found between therapy utilization and ED, even when controlling for other factors known to contribute to ED. Specifically, participation in a greater number of types of therapies was associated with higher ED scores, while participation in specific therapies—particularly speech, behavioral, and occupational therapy—was linked to lower ED scores. While we cannot determine directionality or causality in these relationships, our findings support the need for more research to understand how ED impacts and/or is impacted by common EI services. Early intervention therapies (such as occupational, physical, and speech therapy) help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn important skills. Emotion dysregulation, or difficulty controlling one’s emotions, is a common challenge for children with ASD, but is often not a target of early intervention. The relationship between ED and EI therapy is unclear, and emotion dysregulation may impact or be impacted by participation in various therapies. In this study, we used data from a large, diverse sample of parents of autistic 2- to 5-year olds. We aimed to summarize therapy use in the sample and look at the relationship between therapy and emotion dysregulation. We found several associations between therapy use and emotion dysregulation. Participating in a lot of different types of therapies was associated with higher levels of emotion dysregulation, however participating in specific therapies—like speech therapy, behavioral therapy, or occupational therapy—was associated with lower levels of emotion dysregulation. While we cannot determine the cause of the relationships in this study, our findings provide a basis for more specific research into therapy use and emotion dysregulation in autistic children.