Research Proposal on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as an Effective Intervention for Special needs youths who Struggle with Anxiety.

Research Proposal on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as an Effective Intervention for Special needs youths who Struggle with Anxiety.

Introduction

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a psychotherapy that works to modify behaviors, thoughts, and emotions that are dysfunctional. This modification is done through interrogation and getting rid of negative beliefs. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is believed to provide solutions through dialogue as it bases on the fact that perceptions and thoughts influence someone’s behavior in one way or the other. This therapy focuses on identifying dangerous ideas, assess if the views portray the reality of the matter. In cases where the feelings don’t depict the truth, strategies are employed to overcome the thoughts. Cognitive-behavioral therapy dates back to the 1960s when psychiatrist Aaron Beck desired to explore various empirical types of treatment (Michela, 2010).

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be applied to individuals of all ages ranging from children to adults. It can also address different issues such as anxiety, eating disorders, depressive disorder, stress, and several other conditions. This therapy sometimes consumes less time as it can be effective within a short duration even though it has no specific set time frame, and for this reason, it can be well applied among practitioners. Face to face therapy sessions are considered to be the best for cognitive behavioral therapy, but it can also be done online in an effective way (Peter et al. 2013).

Current emotions and circumstances are always the centers of focus in cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. This is because the main focus is to help solve the present condition and provide a lasting solution. Events that happened in ones’ childhood or events that took place a long time ago are not considered in delivering this therapy. Family history may be asked in some cases for the better understanding of the person. More emphasis is on what the person is going through that is causing the disturbance or the anxiety in this case. The solution after listening to the situation in most cases is an encouragement to practically address the rational issues, catastrophize, and challenging the irrational beliefs (Peter et al., 2013).

Anxiety is a common psychiatric condition among youths with autism. Teens with autism spectrum disorders record a high number of people who suffer from anxiety as compared to the general population. It is essential to address this issue and find a lasting solution that will help in solving the problem of concern among youths with special needs. Stress causes fear and worry that is persistent and excess among these youths as they think about situations in their daily lives. Anxiety is considered normal in cases that are stress, like speaking in public when you are not used to it. Still, when the fear prolongs and becomes persistent, then it is considered abnormal, and measures should be taken to control the situation. Prolonged anxiety interferes and affects the daily lives of any individual (Connor et al., 2O17). Cognitive-behavioral therapy, basing on its characteristics such as being useful for solving conditions among all ages, taking short durations, and focusing on the current events, can be considered the best in solving anxiety among youths with special needs.

The proposed research is significant as it aims at finding out if cognitive behavioral therapy will effectively intervene for special needs youths who struggle with anxiety. Most of the special needs teenagers suffer from anxiety which interferes with their daily living. This proposed research will help in finding a lasting solution for anxiety that affects these youths.

The research question and hypothesis are:

Research question: Is cognitive-behavioral therapy an effective intervention for special needs youths who struggle with anxiety?

Hypothesis: If cognitive behavioral therapy is used with special needs youth who struggle with anxiety, then their symptoms of anxiety will improve.

Measurement

The variables in this research proposal are Cognitive behavioral therapy and special needs youths who struggle with anxiety. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the independent variable as it affects the anxiety in teens with special needs. In this research, cognitive behavioral therapy will be manipulated to determine if it is the solution to the problem of stress. Teens with special needs who struggle with anxiety form the dependent variables in this research. The changes in anxiety levels experienced by teenagers with special needs are the main focus of this research. The independent variable affects the dependent variable, and therefore the study focuses on the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy is solving the anxiety problem among youths with autism (Neil J. 2010)

The standard measure is a measure that is provided consistently. Usual steps in scientific research are advantageous because they give reliable and valid results as opposed to the non-standard ratio. Measuring the wrong construct always will give safe outcome. Still, the outcome won’t be logical either way measuring the right construct but not in a consistent manner gives the last issue, but the problem won’t be reliable. Therefore to attain reliability and validity in a standard measure, a right construct should be measured consistently. Security refers to a consistent and dependable means of a construct that is under study (consistent action). In contrast, validity refers to an adequate representation of a response by the construct that is under investigation (accurate measure). Generally, the reliability and validity of a standardized test are that it gives consistent and precise standards (Joel et al., 2007).

References

Connor M. Kerns, Patricia Renno, Eric A. Storch (2017). Anxiety in Children and Adolescents    with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Joel M. Hektner, Jennifer A. Schmidt, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2007). Experience Sampling       Method: Measuring the Quality of Everyday Life.

Michela Rimondini (2010). Communication in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Neil J. Salkind (2010). Encyclopedia of Research Design-Volume 1

Peter J. Bieling, Randi E. McCabe, Martin M. Antony (2013). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in    Groups.