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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT02457169

Addressing Systemic Health Disparities in Early Identification and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): ABCD Project

The intervention under examination is designed to promote parents' school engagement following the transition from Early Intervention (EI) to preschool for parents of young children who were diagnosed with ASD through our screening and assessment protocol. The brief intervention employs principles of motivational interviewing to address not only the particular child characteristics and needs associated with ASD but also the unique, system-related challenges of navigating the special education system and advocating for appropriate services. Motivational interventions with parents are designed to elicit parents' specific, action-oriented goals for themselves and their children, enhancing motivation to pursue change, and addressing and resolving obstacles or sources of ambivalence.

By identifying and capitalizing on parents' strengths, empowering parents to develop specific goals, and improving parents' readiness to engage actively with their children's school, teacher, and educational team, we expect that this brief intervention will lead to higher levels of parental school involvement, higher special education engagement, and closer and more productive parent teacher relationships.

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Key information

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Mental Disorders Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Age range

14 month–3 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Parents of children who participated in our screening and assessment study, whose children received diagnoses of autism through our assessment, AND

  • whose children are turning 3 and transitioning out of Early Intervention services.

Exclusion criteria

Children who are medically complex OR

  • have a previous diagnosis of ASD outside of our study OR
  • Don't have a parent/guardian who speak/understand sufficient English or Spanish to complete study materials OR
  • Don't qualify for Early Intervention services

Treatment and study plan

Parent Preschool Engagement intervention

Behavioral

This 1-2 session intervention (2-4 hours total) will involve one-on-one session(s) for parents whose children (all of whom have received a diagnosis of ASD through our study) are turning 3 and therefore transitioning from the Early Intervention system to the public school special education system. The intervention will utilize motivational interviewing (MI) principles to equip parents with the skills, knowledge, and clarity of goals necessary to collaborate effectively with school special education staff and teachers, to advocate for their children's needs, and to be empowered to navigate the special education system.

Attention Control

Behavioral

The attention control condition is parallel in format (one-on-one between parent with interventionist) and intensity (1-2 sessions, or 2-4 hours total). It involves open-ended interviews with parents about their child's development and plans for school.

Primary outcomes

  1. parental school involvement

    Time frame: 3 months post-intervention

    parent report on the school involvement subscale of the Parent-Teacher Involvement Scale

  2. parent-teacher relationship quality

    Time frame: 3 months post-intervention

    parent-report on the relationship subscale of the Parent-Teacher Involvement Scale

  3. parent-special education engagement

    Time frame: 3 months post-intervention

    parent report on the Parent-Special Education Engagement Scale

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Massachusetts, Boston

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  • Northeastern University
  • Tufts Medical Center

Registry information

Official study title

Addressing Systemic Health Disparities in Early ASD Identification and Treatment

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
May 29, 2015
Registry last updated
Dec 4, 2018

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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