Brief Behavioral Treatment for Anxiety in Young Children

Exclusion Criteria

• •• (a) Current clinically significant suicidality or (b) individuals who have engaged in suicidal behaviors within 6 months will be excluded and referred for appropriate clinical intervention.
• •* Receiving concurrent psychotherapy, social skills training, or behavioral interventions (e.g., applied behavior analysis). Families will have the option of discontinuing such services to enroll in the study. Those randomized treatment as usual (TAU) will be able to continue or initiate psychosocial interventions (psychotherapy, social skills training, applied behavior analysis, or family therapy) whereas those randomized to PLET will not receive these interventions concurrent with PLET.
• •* Any change in established psychotropic medication (e.g., antidepressants, anxioloytics, antipsychotics, stimulants) within 10 weeks before study. Those randomized to TAU may make medication changes following randomization, including starting a medication; those randomized to PLET will remain stable on medications during the study.
• •* Absence of language.
• •* A formal diagnosis of mental retardation or autism spectrum disorder.
• •* Unwillingness of parents to make the commitment to accompany their child for multiple study visits, unwillingness to take part in randomization, inability to attend sessions twice weekly as therapist availability allows, inability to attend assessment visits.
• •* Presence of a significant and/or unstable medical illness which might lead to hospitalization during the study.