Promoting Inclusive Educational Environments for Children with Autism and Other Social-communication Challenges: Preschool Class and Primary School

NCT05509309 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: VR 2020-03267
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 24
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the effect of using the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) as the foundation for providing feedback, in-service training and coaching to teachers, to improve program quality for autistic (ASD) students and students with related social-communication challenges (SCC) in Swedish primary school classrooms. In the current study half of the participating classrooms will receive the APERS-based model for program quality improvement, while the other half will receive services as usual. It is hypothesized that the APERS-based model will improve primary school program quality for children with ASD and SCC, as well as improve functioning for students with ASD/SCC and self-perceived self-efficacy among participating teachers, compared to the study's comparison group.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder; Social Communication Challenges

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change from baseline in autism program quality assessed with the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale - Preschool and primary school (APERS-Fk/L-SE)

  The APERS-Fk/L-SE is a rating scale designed to examine primary school program quality for autistic students in Sweden. It contains 10 domains including areas such as students' personal independence and competence, and challenging behaviors. The scale consists of 59 items rated on a five-point Likert-scale (1= low quality - 5 = high quality) resulting in individual item scores, subdomain scores, domain scores and a total score.

  Baseline and about 9 months from baseline

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Change from baseline in how children feel about their school assessed with How I Feel About My School (HIFAMS)

  Baseline and approximately 9 months from baseline

• Change from baseline in parents ratings on their children's body functions, activities and participation and contextual factors assessed with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for Autism

  Baseline and approximately 9 months from baseline

• Change from baseline in children's self-regulation and academic behavior assessed with children's self-regulation and academic behavior questionnaire

  Baseline and approximately 9 months from baseline

• Change from baseline in teachers' global impression of the child in the classroom

  Baseline and approximately 9 months from baseline

• Change in teachers' stress assessed with the Teachers' Stress Scale

  Baseline and approximately 9 months from baseline

Other Outcomes (2)

• Social validity assessed with the Social Validity Scale

  Follow-up approximately 9 months after onset of study

• Social responsiveness measured with the Social Responsiveness Scale 2 (SRS-2)

  Baseline assessment

Study Arms (2)

Experimental group

EXPERIMENTAL

In the experimental group, in-service training on autism, program quality, and APERS will be provided to participating staff. Furthermore, APERS-rating to assess the program quality for students with ASD/SCC will be conducted. Pertaining feedback on program areas of strength and improvement will be provided by the APERS-raters to the classroom teachers. Subsequently, assigned coaches (already employed at the school as special educators or equivalent) will based on the APERS-ratings develop an action plan to improve program quality for students with ASD and SCC, in collaboration with classroom teachers. Subsequently, the coach will provide weekly or bi-weekly coaching to promote program quality during the course of two school semesters (approximately 8-9 months).

Behavioral: APERS-based model

Comparison group

NO INTERVENTION

The classrooms in the comparison group will also be rated with the APERS, and feedback will provided to classroom teachers. However, no further support will be provided in transforming APERS-ratings with pertaining feedback into best practice.

Interventions

APERS-based model BEHAVIORAL

APERS-assessments followed by in-service training, APERS-feedback and on-site coaching to improve primary school classroom quality for students with ASD/SCC

Experimental group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Years - 9 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• autism diagnosis
• socio-communicative challenges identified by parents and/or school staff
• attending a primary school classroom (i.e., from pre-school class to third grade)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stockholm University: lead
• Karolinska Institutet: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Stockholm Municipality

Stockholm, Sweden

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Lise Pettersson Roll, PhD

  Stockholm University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 31, 2022
• First Posted: August 22, 2022
• Study Start: August 15, 2022
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2024
• Study Completion: July 1, 2024
• Last Updated: January 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SE (1)