We are interested in understanding the mechanisms that maintain social anxiety in autistic children and young people, and how social anxiety may overlap with social camouflaging and autistic identity during assessment, formulation and intervention. Our work adopts a range of methodology including systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the current state of research evidence underpinning social anxiety assessment and treatment in autism, to adopting more quantitative and qualitative approaches to understand autistic young people's experiences of social anxiety.
Relevant publications:
Lei, J., Cooper, C., Hollocks, M.J. (in press). Psychological interventions for autistic adolescents with co-occurring anxiety and depression: Considerations linked to autism social identity and masking.
Lei, J., Mason, C., Russell, A., Hollocks, M.J., Leigh, E., (under review). Understanding mechanisms that maintain Social Anxiety Disorder in Autistic individuals through the Clark and Wells (1995) model and beyond: a systematic review.
Lei, J., Leigh, E., Charman, T., Russell, A., & Hollocks, M. J. (2024). Exploring the association between social camouflaging and self- versus caregiver-report discrepancies in anxiety and depressive symptoms in autistic and non-autistic socially anxious adolescents. Autism, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241238251
Lei, J., Leigh, E., Charman, T., Russell, A., & Hollocks, M. J. (2023). Understanding the relationship between social camouflaging in autism and safety behaviours in social anxiety in autistic and non-autistic adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, n/a(n/a). https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13884
Wood, H., Rusbridge, S., Lei, J. et al. Exploring the Cognitive Model of Social Anxiety in Autistic Young People—The Central Role of Bodily Symptoms. J Autism Dev Disord 52, 5500–5514 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05359-0
Lei, J., Brosnan, M., Ashwin, C. et al. Evaluating the Role of Autistic Traits, Social Anxiety, and Social Network Changes During Transition to First Year of University in Typically Developing Students and Students on the Autism Spectrum. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 2832–2851 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04391-w
