Severity of Autism Linked to Rigid Fearfulness

New research shows that children with autism have a hard time letting go of old, outdated fears.

Furthermore, this rigid fearfulness is linked to the severity of classic symptoms of autism, such as repetitive movements and resistance to change.

“People with autism likely don’t experience or understand their world in the same way we do,” said Mikle South, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Brigham Young University and lead author of the study.

“We see a strong connection between anxiety and the repetitive behaviors,” South said. “We’re linking symptoms used to diagnose autism with emotion difficulties not usually considered as a classic symptom of autism.”