Developing and Evaluating a Social Skills Group Training for Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Sponsor
- Curtin University
- Enrollment
- 90
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS)
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 3 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
This study evaluates the KONTAKT social skills group training in Australian adolescents on the autism spectrum compared to an active control group which is a group cooking class
Detailed Description
KONTAKT is a manualized Social Skills Group Training program designed for children and adolescents with ASD which aims to improve communication, social interaction skills, reduce the severity of ASD symptoms, improve the ability to empathise and adapt in a group setting. A large randomized controlled trial in Sweden found that adolescents who participated in KONTAKT demonstrated improvements in social skills, behaviour, reduced stress and improved overall functioning as reported by parents immediately following and at three months after the program. However, social skills are at least in part influenced by social cultural contexts and there is a need to understand the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of KONTAKT in an Australian context. Moreover, in the previous studies, the social skills groups were compared to treatment as usual groups. Therefore, this study evaluates the KONTAKT social skills group training in Australian adolescents on the autism spectrum compared to an active control group which is a group cooking class
Investigators
Sonya Girdler
Associate Professor
Curtin University
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Individuals aged 12 to 17
- •Clinical consensus diagnosis of ASD as defined by DSM-5 and confirmed by the Autism Diagnostic Observation schedule-2
- •IQ scores \> 70 as measured by the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition (WASI-II)
Exclusion Criteria
- •Existing prior comorbid externalizing behaviours as assessed by the Childhood Behaviour Checklist (CBCL).
- •Clinically assessed self-injurious behaviour
- •Low intrinsic motivation to participate in a social skills training group
- •Insufficient English language skills
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in the Goal Attainment Scale (GAS)
Time Frame: Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20), follow up (week 36), and long follow up (week 74)
The GOAL Attainment Scale will be used as the adolescents' primary outcome. Using the scale the participants personally meaningful social goals will be specified, and a behavioural expectation that ranges from the worst to the best possible outcome will be listed for each goal. This allows qualitative data to be quantified in relation to the success of the participant in achieving expectations of change.
Secondary Outcomes
- Mind Reading Battery(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20) and follow up (week 36))
- Change in the Perth Loneliness Scale (PALs)(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20), follow up (week 36), and long follow up (week 74))
- Change in the Negative Incidents and Effects of Psychological Treatment (NEQ)(Post-test (week 20) and follow up (week 36))
- Change in the Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D)(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20), follow up (week 36), and long follow up (week 74))
- Change in Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS)(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20), follow up (week 36), and long follow up (week 74))
- Change in the Emotion Regulation and Social Skills Questionnaire (ERSSQ)(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20), follow up (week 36), and long follow up (week 74))
- Change in Treatment Inventory of Costs in Patients (TIC-P)(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20), follow up (week 36), and long follow up (week 74))
- Treatment Satisfaction Scale(Post-test (week 20))
- Change in the Circumplex Scale of Interpersonal Efficacy (CSIE)(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20) and follow up (week 36))
- Change in the Paediatric Quality of life Inventory- 4th edition (PedQL-4.0)(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20) and follow up (week 36))
- Change in social functioning(Time 1 (week 3), Time 2 (week 13 ), Time 3 (week 19))
- Change in the Social responsiveness scale - Second Edition (SRS-2)(Baseline (week 0), Post-test (week 20), follow up (week 36), and long follow up (week 74))
- Change in Emotions via Experience Sampling (ESM)(Through the intervention until follow up time from week 1 to 36)