Transitioning Together Boston

The Global Health, Emotional Distress, Subjective Well-Being, and Relationships sub scales of the NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information Systems (PROMIS) will be administered via parent proxy (and youth self-report when appropriate) to asses the quality of life for autistic youth. Item scores can range from 1 to 5 and higher scores are associated with a higher quality of life.

The Goal Attainment Scaling will be administered to asses transition-related goal attainment. It is a valid and reliable technique to benchmark success in meeting individualized goals. Scores can range from 0 to 4 and higher scores are associated with better goal attainment.

The Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised Problem Behavior Scale will be administered to assess frequency and severity of problem behaviors in youth. It is a parent-report questionnaire. For problem behaviors that occurred, items scores can range from 1 to 5 for frequency and severity, with a higher score associated with higher frequency and higher severity of the problem behavior.

The Family Empowerment Scale will be administered to asses family empowerment. It is a self-report scale that measures empowerment in families with children who have emotional or behavioral disorders and has robust psychometric properties. Item scores can range from 1 to 5 and higher scores are associated with more family empowerment.

The Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (COPE) will be administered to asses family coping skills. It is a self-report questionnaire that measures adaptive and maladaptive coping responses to adversity, validated in health-care settings. Item scores can range from 1 to 4 and higher/lower subscale scores are associated with a higher level of the coping style measured in that subscale.

The Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey will be administered to asses social support. It is a self-report questionnaire that measures the availability of other people to provide social support through emotional, informational, tangible, affectionate, and social dimensions. Item scores can range from 1 to 5 and higher scores are associated with more social support.

The Zarit Burden Interview will be administered to asses perceived burden related to taking care of another person. It is a self-report questionnaire. Item scores can range from 0 to 4 and higher scores are associated with more perceived burden.

The Generalized Anxiety Screener and the Patient Health Questionnaire will be administered to asses parental well-being - specifically anxiety and depression symptoms. Both measures are self-report questionnaires. It is a self-report questionnaire. On the both measures, item scores range from 0 to 3 and higher scores are associated with higher severity of symptoms.

The Five-Minute Speech Sample and the Happy Proud Scale will be administered to asses family climate. The Five Minute Speech Sample is a 5-minute sample of a caregiver speaking about their relationship with their child that is scored to measure caregivers' expressed emotion regarding a relative with a mental health condition. The Happy Proud Scale measures parent and youth feelings of pride and happiness with regard to the things the youth does. Item scores range from 0 to 4 with higher scores associated with higher feelings of pride and happiness.

The Transition Readiness Scale will be used to assess youth readiness for the transition to adulthood. It is a parent proxy and youth self-report questionnaire. Item scores range from 1 to 4. Higher scores are associated with higher transition readiness.

Additionally, the Waisman Activities of Daily Living Scale will be used to assess the level of independent aspect of transition readiness. It is a parent proxy report questionnaire. Item scores range from 0 to 2. Higher scores are associated with higher independence in performing tasks on one's own.

The Acceptability of Intervention Measure, the Intervention Appropriateness Measure, and the Feasibility of Intervention measure will be used to assess perceptions of intervention acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility among participants who received the Transitioning Together intervention. These are each brief self-report questionnaires. Item scores range from 1 to 4. Higher scores are associated with higher perceptions of intervention acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility.

Participants receiving the Transitioning Together intervention will rate their satisfaction with each session on a self-reported satisfaction survey. Item scores range from 1 to 5. Higher scores are associated with a higher level of satisfaction.

Facilitators will rate participant engagement level after each Transitioning Together session to measure their level of engagement. Scores range from 1 to 5. Higher scores are associated with a higher level of engagement.