The Use of Social Stories to Reduce Negative Affect and Improve Satisfaction in Adults Attending an ASD Assessment

NCT03372421 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: rjenkinson001
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 51
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Many people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) find the unpredictability of social situations emotionally distressing. It is likely that attending a diagnostic assessment is no exception. Social Stories are short stories that describe a social situation so that people know what to expect. They are written in a way that is accessible to people with ASD. This study will explore whether a Social Story written about a diagnostic assessment can reduce the associated emotional distress and increase people's satisfaction with the process. If so, they could be a simple way that services can better cater for their clients' needs.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Positive and Negative Affect Schedule

  A widely used self-report measure of positive and negative affect with good psychometric properties (Crawford \& Henry, 2004) and has been used in previous research to measure negative affect in people with ASD (Samson, Huber, \& Gross, 2012).

  Change scores: baseline and 3 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Assessment Satisfaction

  3 weeks

• Predictability

  3 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Social Story

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will read information about what to expect from the assessment in the format of a Social Story

Other: Social Story

Standard Information

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will read standard information about what to expect from the assessment.

Other: Standard Information

Interventions

Social Story OTHER

A short story written in the third person about what it's like to attend an assessment for ASD.

Social Story

Standard Information OTHER

Information the host site currently sends out to patients informing them about what to expect from the assessment

Standard Information

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• People who are awaiting an ASD assessment at the host site.
• People who have never visited the site before.

You may not qualify if:

• People who do not receive a diagnosis of ASD following the study will not be included in the inferential statistical analysis. However, they will still be participants in the study and their data will be reported descriptively.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Sheffield: lead

Study Sites (1)

Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service

Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S11 9BF, United Kingdom

Location

Related Links

• The website of the author of Social Stories with guidance on writing Social Stories.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Richard p Jenkinson

  University of Sheffield

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants will not be told whether they are in the experimental or control group.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Trainee Clinical Psychologist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 4, 2017
• First Posted: December 13, 2017
• Study Start: May 26, 2018
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2019
• Study Completion: April 30, 2019
• Last Updated: August 30, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)