Treatment as usual and peer engagement in teens with High Functioning Autism

Seattle Children'S Hospital, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Epidemiological studies now indicate that the prevalence of autism and related disorders may be as high as 1 in 150 children with nationwide estimates of the overall costs of Autistic disorder to society approaching $90 billion;with nearly 90% of those costs in adult services. Unfortunately, the science and accessibility to evidence based interventions for teens with Autism lag behind the burgeoning demand, creating a significant public health dilemma. The proposed project aims to address this gap by promoting cost effective and evidence- based treatments and guidelines that will improve the quality of life of these teens by decreasing their risk of marginalization while fostering their membership in society. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Impairment in the ability to interact socially is the hallmark feature of teens with High Functioning Autism (HFA). While these individuals have cognitive skills at or above the average range, social and emotional development lags behind. Few interventions and supports are available to these adolescents, despite their significant need. As a result, these adolescents are at risk for depression and anxiety, often experiencing marginalization within their peer group and community. To address the need for improving these teens'core deficit in social skills, several clinical interventions have been designed to improve social relationships. Despite widespread use of this type of intervention, it has not been found to be effective in changing peer relationships and engagement in the teen's natural environment. Thus, there continues to be a pressing need for evidence based and cost-effective treatments that foster generalization of social skills from the treatment space to the real world. This study aims to address this gap by refining and examining two treatment approaches: a school based/peer mediated program and a second "treatment as usual" program which consists of a community based social skills group intervention. In a sample of 60 teens with ASD in 3 participating school districts and 60 teens with ASD enrolled in a community based social skills program, treatment efficacy will be assessed through pre and post intervention assessment of social skills. Once validated, the manualized treatments could be rapidly implemented across school and community settings. A secondary aim is to explore the role that individual characteristics, such as language ability and co-occurring psychiatric conditions may play in successful acquisition and generalizability of learned skills. This multi-site project extends the work of the Autism Intervention Research Network for Behavioral Health (AIR-B) to adolescents with High functioning Autism, and builds on an existing interdisciplinary group of investigators, strong connections with community and stakeholders, and commitment to creating and implementing accessible interventions to individuals with Autism across the lifespan. Our work has promise for developing robust treatment guidelines that inform these teens, their families and intervention professionals about important treatment targets, active ingredients of treatment strategies, and meaningful outcomes of intervention, and for improving the prospect for effective matching of treatment to the unique characteristics of the individual.