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A Trial of Project ImPACT in Early Intervention

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Interventions
Behavioral: Project ImPACT
Registration Number
NCT04729127
Lead Sponsor
University of Pennsylvania
Brief Summary

Our pilot study will address a number of pressing questions, including: Can community clinicians successfully coach parents of children with ASD in evidence-based practice to achieve positive outcomes for their children and themselves? What dose is necessary to achieve change? And what is the cost effectiveness of implementing evidence-based interventions at different doses?

Detailed Description

The investigators will partner with 6 of Philadelphias 13 agencies serving young children with ASD. The investigators will enroll 3 clinicians per agency (18 total) and 3 families per clinician (54 total). Agencies will be randomized to the 3 arms. The investigators will measure clinician fidelity and parent fidelity through direct observation and selfreport. The investigators will measure child and parent outcomes at baseline and 6 months using measures common to similar trials. Resource use for the economic evaluation will occur quarterly and will take a societal approach. The investigators will partner with a community advisory board to apply the findings from this pilot trial to the development of a larger, system-wide subsequent trial that is feasible and ecologically valid for Philadelphias EI system. The results will provide rigorous information about whether evidence-based autism interventions for young children can be implemented successfully with the resources available in cities like Philadelphia, the role of hours of treatment in improving child outcomes, and the cost-benefit implications for families and community agencies. This project has the potential to dramatically improve the services families of young children with ASD in Philadelphia receive, and significantly improve their long-term outcomes. This preliminary trial would provide the EI system with the information needed to bring this type of intervention to scale across the entire system. It also would serve as the foundation for an application for federal funds to conduct a system-wide study of Project ImPACT as implemented in all Philadelphia agencies serving children with ASD.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
120
Inclusion Criteria
  1. child is <30 months of age (to receive 6 months of intervention)
  2. a classification of autism or high autism risk as determined by the EI system;
  3. receive early intervention services through the infant and toddler program; and
  4. parent is willing to complete the parent measures that are part of this study.
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Exclusion Criteria
  1. be over 30 months of age
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Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
ImPACT at a dose of 1 hour/weekProject ImPACTImPACT at a dose of 1 hour/week over 6 months
ImPACT at 4 hours/weekProject ImPACTImPACT at 4 hours/week over 6 months.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales 3rd Edition6 months

The Vineland-3 is a standardized measure of adaptive behavior--the things that people do to function in their everyday lives. Because it is a norm-based instrument, the examinee's adaptive functioning is compared to that of others his or her age. The ABC score is based on scores for three specific adaptive behavior domains: Communication, Daily Living Skills, and Socialization. The domain scores are also expressed as standard scores with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15.

Brief Observation of Social Communication Change (BOSCC)6 months

Measure of treatment-response for social-communication behaviors. The score range of the BOSCC is 0-5, with higher score being indicative of more atypical behavior.

Early Intervention Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (EIPSES)6 months

Measure of parent self-efficacy. 16-item self-report measure that examines parents beliefs about their ability to produce positive changes and promote optimal development in their child with a disability.

Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO)6 months

Parent Responsiveness will be measured using the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO™) is a checklist of 29 observable developmentally supportive parenting behaviors, with children ages 10-47 months, in four domains (affection, responsiveness, encouragement, and teaching).

Each item is scored as 0, 1 or 2.

0 = Behavior absent, not observed

1. = Behavior barely there, sometimes

2. = Behavior seen often

Assessors add scores for each item to calculate a domain score. No overall score is calculated. The authors provide a scoring grid that may be used to interpret domain scores by age. The grid summarizes scores indicative of high risk, moderate risk, and strenght (e.g. low/no risk) for each domain such that risk corresponds to suboptimal toddler development.

Project ImPACT Intervention Fidelity Checklist6 months

Parent Treatment Adherence will be assessed through a videotaped parent-child interaction at home. Parent behavior will be scored for use of the intervention strategies using the Project ImPACT Intervention Fidelity Checklist. The scores range from 1 to 5, the higher the score representing the most adherence to the Project ImPACT intervention.

Project ImPACT Coaching Fidelity Checklist6 months

Clinician fidelity will be measured using the Project ImPACT Coaching Fidelity Checklist. The scores range from 0 to 5, the higher the score representing the most adherence to the Project ImPACT intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Center for Mental Health

🇺🇸

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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