F3C:Autism & Anxiety: Are We Getting It All Wrong? Rethinking What We Know About Anxiety in Autistic Children, Teens, and Adults

Anxiety is one of the most common and most debilitating challenges autistic individuals face, yet it is also one of the most frequently misunderstood. When anxiety goes unaddressed, it can steadily constrict daily life, making the world feel smaller and more overwhelming, and intensify core autism related challenges along the way. Families often feel the ripple effects, as anxiety can turn home and school into a battleground, disrupt early childhood experiences, and significantly complicate the transition to adulthood. 
 
This session focuses on the mechanisms that make autistic anxiety fundamentally different, why it often becomes a complex, threat anchored response, and how this pattern unfolds across development. We will explore prevalence, brain-based mechanisms, common misconceptions, and the consequences of misdiagnosis or ineffective treatment, including depression and significant barriers to launching into adulthood. 

Learning Outcomes: 

Reframe anxiety through a neurodiversity affirming, brain-based lens.

Explain neurobiological and psychological mechanisms that contribute to autistic anxiety and threat anchored responses. 

Discuss neurodiversity-affirming principles for the formulation and treatment of anxiety in autistic children, adolescents and adults.

Speakers