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Feasibility Controlled Trial of an 8-session Group Intervention for Siblings of Children Who Have ASD

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Interventions
Other: None - control condition
Other: Sibling support group
Registration Number
NCT04714606
Lead Sponsor
University of Surrey
Brief Summary

A feasibility controlled trial of an eight-session group intervention for siblings of children who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Children will be recruited from a multi-academy trust of nine schools. Due to the on-going impact of COVID-19 restrictions, children will be allocated to the intervention condition (eight session support group) if they are physically attending school and to the control condition (receipt of a booklet) if they remain at home. Pre and post outcome measures will be completed by children and their parents in both research arms.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
12
Inclusion Criteria
  1. 7-11 years old.
  2. Must have a sibling who has a formal diagnosis of ASD.
  3. Must be competent in the English language.
  4. Must be in mainstream education.
  5. Must be willing and able to engage in an eight-session group intervention (including being accompanied to and from the group by their parents/carers).
  6. Must be registered with a GP and parental consent gained to inform the GP that the sibling is attending the group.
Exclusion Criteria
  1. If the sibling has a diagnosis of ASD themselves.
  2. If there are any clear risk concerns (e.g. any thought or intent to harm self or others, involvement in court proceedings or with the criminal justice system).
  3. If the sibling is currently receiving any other psychological treatment.
  4. If the sibling has a learning disability or difficulty that will make it hard to access the group content and/or capacity to provide informed consent.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
BookletNone - control conditionControl condition in which siblings of children who have an ASD will receive a tailored booklet to complete at home
Sibling support groupSibling support group8 session, tailored support group for siblings of children who have an ASD
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ, Goodman et al., 2009) scoresPre (Week 1) and post (Week 6) intervention

Questionnaire used to measure effectiveness pre and post intervention or control condition. Lower scores indicate better outcome.

Change in Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL V4.0; Varni, Seid & Kurtin, 2001) scoresPre (Week 1) and post (Week 6) intervention

Questionnaire used to measure effectiveness pre and post intervention or control condition. Higher scores indicate better outcome.

Change in Knowledge of Autism Questionnaire (KAS; Ross & Cuskelly, 2006) scoresPre (Week 1) and post (Week 6) intervention

Questionnaire used to measure knowledge of autism pre and post intervention or control condition. Higher scores indicate better outcome.

Change in Goal Based Outcomes (GBOs, Law & Jacob, 2015) scores Goal Based Outcomes (GBOs, Law & Jacob, 2015)Pre (Week 1) and post (Week 6) intervention

Questionnaire used to measure effectiveness pre and post intervention or control condition. Higher scores indicate better outcome.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Experience of Service Questionnaire (ESQ, Attride-Stirling, 2002)Post intervention (6 weeks after Time 1)

Questionnaire used to measure experience post intervention or control condition. Higher scores indicate better outcome.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Howard Partnership Multi-Academy Trust

🇬🇧

Leatherhead, United Kingdom

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