RECRUITINGINTERVENTIONAL

STRW-T Intervention for Autistic Adolescents in 11th and 12th Grade

A Multisite RCT of a Daily Living Skills Intervention for Autistic Adolescents Prior to the Transition to Adulthood

About This Trial

The current study seeks to compare outcomes of a telehealth intervention targeting daily living skills (Surviving and Thriving in the Real World - Telehealth, or STRW-T) intervention to a control group telehealth intervention targeting social skills (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills- Telehealth, or PEERS-T). The key endpoint will be change in daily living skills on primary and secondary outcome measures at the end of treatment.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - in the last 2 years of high school, or deferring graduation - diagnosis of ASD based on clinical judgement and/or meeting the cut-off score on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition - full scale IQ of 70 or above as measured by the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2nd Edition - deficient Daily Living Skills as assessed by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, 3rd Edition - at least 1 of the 3 Daily Living Skills subdomains is at least 15 points below their full scale IQ Who Should NOT Join This Trial: - significant aggressive behaviors or mental health issues that require treatment out of the scope of the current intervention. - if the adolescent has already completed the social skills group (PEERS), either at Cincinnati Children's or in another setting, unless it has been a significant amount of time since they did the PEERS group (2-3 years, or up to the discretion of the PI). Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language

Inclusion Criteria: * in the last 2 years of high school, or deferring graduation * diagnosis of ASD based on clinical judgement and/or meeting the cut-off score on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition * full scale IQ of 70 or above as measured by the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, 2nd Edition * deficient Daily Living Skills as assessed by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, 3rd Edition - at least 1 of the 3 Daily Living Skills subdomains is at least 15 points below their full scale IQ Exclusion Criteria: * significant aggressive behaviors or mental health issues that require treatment out of the scope of the current intervention. * if the adolescent has already completed the social skills group (PEERS), either at Cincinnati Children's or in another setting, unless it has been a significant amount of time since they did the PEERS group (2-3 years, or up to the discretion of the PI).

Treatments Being Tested

BEHAVIORAL

STRW-T

The STRW-T intervention consists of 15 weekly caregiver group sessions and caregiver-teen dyad sessions delivered via Zoom. The targeted daily living skills (DLS) have been identified and refined through our prior studies and include: Morning routine, laundry, kitchen/cooking, grocery shopping, and money management. Evidence-based strategies are utilized to facilitate acquisition, mastery, and generalization of specific DLS at home and in the community. During dyad sessions, teens will work on DLS in their home environment and will receive coaching and instruction from both their caregiver and the therapist. During caregiver group sessions, the therapist will discuss the content of dyad sessions and engage in problem solving with each caregiver (e.g., using and fading rewards, implementing strategies to increase success, teen motivation/buy-in).

BEHAVIORAL

PEERS-T

PEERS-T is a 15-week intervention with concurrent caregiver and teen group telehealth sessions that target social skills (e.g., building friendships, conversing, dealing with bullying). PEERS-T was chosen as the control because it is one of the few evidence-based interventions for autistic adolescents and does not address daily living skills. PEERS-T is also matched to STRW-T on duration and is clinically meaningful to families.

Locations (2)

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Carrboro, North Carolina, United States

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States