A Study of the Elopement Prevention and Safety Training Program

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Elopement; Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Registration Number: NCT02383732
• Lead Sponsor: Emory University

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the Elopement Prevention Safety (EPST) program in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have engaged in eloping. This is a program created by the Behavior Treatment Clinics to help caregivers come up with a safety plan to prevent their children from running away or wandering off.

Detailed Description

A large number of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a current or past history of elopement. For parents of a child with ASD, having their child go missing is potentially dangerous and far more likely compared to typically developing children. This behavior interferes with household routines, engenders vigilance, and restricts the family's participation in their community. Such restrictions contribute to the family's isolation and hinders development of community supports. Elopement can result in injuries and deaths of children with ASD.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2015-02
• Study First Submitted: 2015-02-25
• Study First Submitted QC: 2015-03-03
• Study First Posted: 2015-03-09
• Primary Completion: 2017-01-31
• Study Completion: 2017-01-31
• Status Verified: 2017-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2017-03-28
• Last Update Posted: 2017-03-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 24

Inclusion Criteria

1. Males and females, ages 4 to 12 inclusive
2. Diagnosis of ASD as determined by clinical interview and supported by standardized measures (i.e., Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2, Vineland, Stanford-Binet V)
3. Engages in elopement in the form of bolting or wandering, as determined by structured interview
4. A caregiver who expresses a willingness to participate in treatment and complete baseline/outcome assessments.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Unmanaged psychopathology or problem behavior other than elopement that warrants immediate clinical care, determined by clinical interview and Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC)
2. Child and family currently in therapy that is likely to be redundant with the treatment program or interfere with proposed treatment
3. Presence of both of the types of elopement under investigation (i.e., both bolting and wandering).

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Feasibility of intervention, assessed by change in severity on Clinical Global Impression for Severity (CGI-S)	Post-intervention (12-14 weeks)	An independent evaluator (IE) will conduct a parent target problem survey to help caregivers estimate the frequency of elopement as well as its impact on the family. From this description, the IE (who will be blind to treatment assignment) will generate a brief narrative describing the participant's elopement. This narrative will be used by the IE to rate the overall severity on the 7-point Clinical Global Impression for Severity (CGI-S). Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S) Scale is a clinician's assessment of patient's severity of illness. The score ranges from 1 = normal, not at all ill to 7 = among the most extremely ill patients

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in elopement behavior	Post-intervention (12-14 weeks)	Number of times a subject exhibits bolting and wandering at baseline and post-intervention. Change in elopement will be subtracting the number of bolting and wandering events from post-intervention and baseline.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Marcus Autism Center; 🇺🇸 Atlanta, Georgia, United States