A Crisis Prevention Program for Youth With Autism
- Conditions
- Behavior ProblemAutism Spectrum Disorder
- Interventions
- Other: Crisis Prevention ArmOther: Control
- Registration Number
- NCT05681143
- Brief Summary
Mental health crises involve acute psychiatric states, such as aggression and/or self-injury, which can result in harm to self or others. There is evidence to suggest that 20% to 25% of autistic children are at risk of a mental health crises, however no crisis prevention programs exist for autistic children. The goal of this project is to evaluate, via a randomized design, a novel crisis prevention program.
- Detailed Description
When a child or adolescent experiences a mental health crisis, it is a devastating and potentially life-threating event. Beyond the hazard of injury, mental health crises can have a life-altering impact on the child (repeated trauma, development of future psychopathology), family members (increased stress and poorer well-being) and society as a whole (cost and disability). Our inability to prevent or identify those in crisis is reflected in the rising rates of suicides, extensive wait times and overcrowding in emergency departments, and the jailing of people with mental illness.
Mental health crises are defined as a) the presence of acute psychiatric symptoms that require immediate attention or intervention and b) the perceived (by the informant) lack of immediate resources to manage these symptoms. Similar to the concepts of impairment or distress, mental health crisis is a transdiagnostic construct that applies to all psychiatric problems, from self-injury to aggression to psychosis to substance abuse.
The recently developed Mental Health Crisis Assessment Scale-Revised (MCAS-R), developed by a team of expert clinical and public health researchers, was specifically designed to address the current gap in crisis measurement for autistic children. The MCAS-R is a 23-item parental report, which takes no more than 10 minutes to complete, that measures crisis in two conceptually-based subscales, acuity and behavioral efficacy, reflecting both the core elements of crisis. Based on the cutoffs, it has been shown to accurately identify crises in 9 out of 10 autistic children. Recent work suggests between 20-25% of children served in outpatient mental health are at risk of a mental health crisis, as identified by the validated MCAS cutoff.
At present, no crisis prevention programs exist for autistic children. There are certainly numerous community-based crisis intervention programs, outpatient mental health treatment approaches, and parent behavioral training programs. However, no programs exist that aim to prevent a crisis from occurring. The goal of this study is to fill this gap by providing families with tools before their child's behavior becomes acute.
The goals of this study are to examine: 1) child and parent outcomes associated with a novel crisis prevention program for autistic children; 2) gather survey-based feedback from parents, post-intervention, to understand feasibility and utility of the crisis prevention program.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 61
- Have a child with autism
- The child must be 3-17 years of age
- Caregivers must score <=13 on the Crisis Prevention Index (CPI)
- The child must have some behavioral concerns (e.g., aggression, property destruction, elopement, tantrums), as listed on section 2 of the MCAS-R.
- The child must have an MCAS-R Acuity score of at most 19
- The child must be actively seen by a medical or mental health professional within the last six months
- The child has any suicidal thoughts or behaviors
- The child is enrolled in another treatment study
- The child is enrolled in the RUBI parent training program, offered at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger
- Caregivers has a hearing or language impairment
- Caregiver does not have consistent access to the internet
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Crisis Prevention Arm Crisis Prevention Arm - Control Control -
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Change in The Crisis Prevention Index scores baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks 5-item, custom measure assessing caregivers perceived preparation for a crisis involving their child. Higher scores are better.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Change in Aberrant Behavior Checklist scores baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks 58-item measure of child behavior problems. Higher scores are worse.
Change in Me as a Parent Scale scores baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks 16-item measure assessing caregivers perceived ability to manage their child's behavior. Higher scores are better.
Change in Mental Health Crisis Assessment Scale-Revised scores baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks 23-item parental report that measures crisis in two conceptually-based subscales, acuity and behavioral efficacy, reflecting both the core elements of crisis. Higher scores are worse.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Kennedy Krieger Institute
🇺🇸Baltimore, Maryland, United States