The Role of Anxiety Symptoms in Understanding Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours and Interests in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Many individuals with ASD suffer from anxiety symptoms and even meet criteria for an anxiety related disorder. Detecting anxiety symptoms in ASD early on is challenging but crucial for the provision of adequate services addressing mental health needs. RRBI is often associated with elevated anxiety in ASD suggesting causal or shared underlying mechanisms at the behavioral and neurobiological levels. Furthermore, individuals with anxiety related disorders without ASD often present with abnormal repetitive behaviors. This chapter presents evidence for the interplay between different types of RRBI and anxiety symptoms in ASD. In addition, the nature of repetitive behaviors of individuals with ASD are compared to those with anxiety related disorders. The chapter discusses the challenges of accurate identification and differential diagnosis of anxiety symptoms from RRBI in ASD as opposed to other psychopathologies.