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Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT06107972

Developing a Culturally Adapted Intervention for Latino Youth Transitioning to Adulthood

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility (e.g., satisfaction, completion rate, barriers to recruitment, treatment fidelity) of the culturally refined Launching! to Adulthood (¡Iniciando! la Adultez) program, to test for a preliminary signal of effect between baseline and post-treatment for the Launching! to Adulthood (¡Iniciando! la Adultez) program and to identify preliminary neural mechanisms of action, including biomarkers of brain structure and connectivity, in terms of treatment response for 15 Latino young adults participating in the ¡Iniciando! therapy program.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

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

Age range

18 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, Texas, 77030, United States

About this study

The Launching! to Adulthood (¡Iniciando! la Adultez) program uses a culturally sensitive therapy program that was translated into Spanish to help Latino young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are transitioning to adulthood (18-25 years old) and their parents. The program aims to make the transition to adulthood easier for young adults and their families, and it includes specific cultural values of Latino young adults and their family members. The ¡Iniciando! la adultez program helps autistic young adults manage mental health needs like depression and anxiety and also addresses several areas impacting transition, including mental health barriers, executive functioning, and motivation. The ¡Iniciando! program also helps parents manage their own needs and addresses several areas, including psychoeducation and mental health.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • confirmed case of ASD
  • a score of >14 on the Social Communication Questionnaire-Lifetime (SCQ-L110) completed with the mother or father
  • meet DSM-5 criteria for ASD based on a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 ASD symptom checklist
  • previous diagnosis of ASD from a licensed mental health or medical professional
  • speak English
  • have a parent willing to participate
  • score >85 on verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT-2)

Exclusion criteria

  • history of a psychotic disorder or current psychotic symptoms
  • suicidal ideation with intent or plan
  • current alcohol or other substance use disorder rated severe
  • concurrent enrollment in another clinical trial for autism spectrum disorder
  • expression of unwillingness to complete study procedures
  • For fMRI, unable to undergo fMRI scanning due to metallic devices or objects (cardiac pacemaker or neurostimulator, some artificial joints, metal pins, surgical clips, or other implanted metal parts) or claustrophobic to the scanner.

Treatment and study plan

Launching! to Adulthood (¡Iniciando! la Adultez) program

Behavioral

The program includes cognitive behavioral and acceptance and commitment therapy, with a focus on developing goals during the transition to adulthood through a values framework. After a combined (parents and young adults) 90-minute introductory group meeting in-person, parents and the transition-aged young adults with ASD attend 9 separate, 90-minute weekly group telehealth meetings. Additionally, young adults have weekly personal coaching meetings for 30-minutes to discuss progress toward goals and barriers encountered. Leaders teach transition-aged young adult's skills through various social activities, as well as other skills (e.g., emotion regulation, cognitive diffusion) to help overcome barriers towards their goals. The treatment targets three core factors (i.e., mental health conditions, social skills, and coping with and adapting to stress). Leaders teach parents new parenting skills, knowledge of ASD, and readiness to support their young adult's transition to independent life.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in adaptive behavior as assessed by the Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System, Third Edition

    Time frame: baseline, mid-treatment (5 weeks after baseline) , post-treatment (12 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow up, 6 month follow up

    This is a 239 item questionnaire and each is scored from 0(is not able to do this behavior) to 3 [(always able to do this behavior)(or almost always)] a higher number indicating better outcome

  2. Change in Quality of life as assessed by the Autism Spectrum Quality of Life (ASQoL) questionnaire

    Time frame: baseline, mid-treatment (5 weeks after baseline) , post-treatment (12 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow up, 6 month follow up

    This is a 9 item questionnaire. Questions 1-5 and 9 are each scored from 1(not at all) to 5(totally) a higher number indicating better outcome and questions 6-8 are reverse scored from 5(never) to 1(always) a higher score indicating worse outcome

  3. Change in Anxiety as assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD7)

    Time frame: baseline, mid-treatment(5 weeks after baseline) , post-treatment (12 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow up, 6 month follow up

    This is a 7 item questionnaire and each is scored from 0(not at all) to 4(nearly every day) for a maximum score of 21 , higher score indicating more anxiety

  4. Change in depression as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

    Time frame: baseline, mid-treatment(5 weeks after baseline) , post-treatment (12 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow up, 6 month follow up

    This is a 9 item questionnaire and each is scored from 0(not at all) to 3(nearly every day) for a maximum score of 27, higher number indicating worse outcome

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in caregiver burden as assessed by the Rapid Screen for Caregiver Burden (CBI)

    Time frame: baseline, mid treatment (5 weeks after baseline) , post-treatment (12 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow up, 6 month follow up

    This is a 24 item questionnaire, each item is given a score between 0 (not at all descriptive) and 4 (very descriptive), where higher scores indicate greater caregiver burden

  2. Change in efficacy of coping with life's challenges as assessed by the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES)

    Time frame: baseline, mid treatment (5 weeks after baseline) , post-treatment (12 weeks after baseline),3 month follow up, 6 month follow up

    This is a 26 item questionnaire and each is scored on a 11-point scale from 0(cannot do at all)-10 (certain can do) and higher number indicates better outcome

  3. Change in stress as assessed by the Riverside Acculturation Stress Inventory (RASI)

    Time frame: baseline, mid treatment (5 weeks after baseline) , post-treatment (12 weeks after baseline), 3 month follow up, 6 month follow up

    This is a 15-item scale and each is scored on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) higher number indicates worse outcome

  4. Change in goal attainment Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS)

    Time frame: week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, week 10, week 11, week 12

    This is scored on a 5-point scale, with the degree of attainment captured for each goal area: If the patient achieves the expected level, this is scored at 0. If they achieve a better than expected outcome this is scored at: +1 (somewhat better) +2 (much better) If they achieve a worse than expected outcome this is scored at: -1 (somewhat worse) or -2 (much worse) Goals may be weighted to take account of the relative importance of the goal to the individual, and/or the anticipated difficulty of achieving it.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Other

Collaborators

  • UTHealth Houston Seed Grant and Autism Speaks Fellowship

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Oct 30, 2023
Registry last updated
Aug 27, 2025

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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