The ASSET Program for Youth With ASD

NCT06535191 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00000097
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 85
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a work-related social skills training intervention for transition-age youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD; ages 14-22) that is designed to improve social skills, social self-efficacy, adaptive functioning, anxiety and work readiness. The Assistive Social Skills \& Employment Training (ASSET) program is a weekly after-school program that runs for 10 weeks. In the first part of the study, youth with ASD, caregivers, special education teachers and employment specialists are invited to review and provide recommendations to improve the manual that has been developed for the ASSET program. The second part of the study is to evaluate the impact of the ASSET program on helping students with ASD improve their social skills, social self-efficacy, adaptive functioning, anxiety and work readiness using a randomized control trial. Improvements in these domains will be assessed immediately following the 10-week program and 3 months later. The intervention will occur at multiple sites in Michigan and Illinois, with a total of 96 students with autism. The ASSET program addresses the employment disparities faced by young adults with ASD by specifically targeting work-related social skills through the development of social skills and self-efficacy to foster successful school-to-work transition outcomes. The manualized ASSET program curriculum will eventually be made public and available for schools and service providers to use.

Conditions

Social Skills; Transition; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Confidence, Self

Keywords

Soft Skills; Work-related Social Skills; Autism Spectrum Disorder; School-to-work Transition; Vocational Rehabilitation; Employment

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Social Functioning

  Social composite score of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System: Third Edition (ABAS-3) was used to assess participants' changes in social functioning. Raw Scores: Each item within the Social Skills subdomains is rated on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (Never) to 3 (Always). The ratings are summed to produce raw scores for each subdomain. Scaled Scores: Raw scores are converted to scaled scores for Social Skills subdomain. Scaled scores typically range from 1 to 19, with a mean of 10 and a standard deviation of 3. Composite Score: The scaled scores from the Social Skills subdomains are combined to form the Social Composite Score, with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, with a higher score indicating higher social functioning.

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Social Responsiveness

  Total score of the Social Responsiveness Scale: Second Edition (SRS-2) was used for measuring social responsiveness. Raw Scores: Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (Never True) to 3 (Almost Always True). Raw scores are summed for each subscale and for the total scale. Subscales include: (1) Social Awareness; (2) Social Cognition; (3) Social Communication; (4) Social Motivation; and (5) Restricted Interests and Repetitive Behaviours. T-Scores: Raw scores are converted to T-scores to facilitate interpretation. T-scores have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10, with a higher score indicating greater severity of social impairment.

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Work Behaviors

  Subscale scores of the Job Observation and Behavior Scale (JOBS) was used to assess participants' changes in work readiness and behaviors. Raw Scores: Each item is rated on a Likert scale. Individual item scores are summed to create raw scores for various subscales, which include (1) Work Quality, (2) Work Quantity, (3) Work Attitudes, (4) Social Skills, (5) Personal Presentation, and (6) Adaptability. Composite Scores: Raw scores from the subscales are combined to form composite scores (i.e., Quality of performance and Type of support), with a higher composite score indicating better performance, more positive work behaviors, less support/assistance needed.

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Social Self-efficacy

  Score of Perceived Social Self-Efficacy (PSSE) was used to assess participants' changes in perceived social self-efficacy. It is scored using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Not well at all) to 5 (Very well). The overall range of possible scores is 6 to 30, with a higher score indicating a higher level of social self-efficacy.

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Empathic Self-efficacy

  Score of Perceived Empathic Self-Efficacy (PESE) was used to assess participants' changes in perceived empathic self-efficacy. It is scored using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Not well at all) to 5 (Very well). The overall range of possible scores is 5 to 25, with a higher score indicating a higher level of empathic self-efficacy.

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Job Self-efficacy

  Score of Job Self-Efficacy (JSE) was used to assess participants' changes job self-efficacy. Each item is rated on a scale, ranging from 1 (Very much disagree) to 6 (Very much agree). Individual item scores are summed to create a total raw score. Raw scores from the items or subscales are summed to form composite scores, with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy in job-related tasks.

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Adaptive Functioning

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Psychosocial Functioning

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Work Readiness

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Anxiety

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

• Depression

  Pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, 3-month post-intervention

Study Arms (2)

ASSET Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the intervention group received Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET), a 10-week manualized soft skills intervention program to help students with ASD improve social and adaptive functioning, self-efficacy, work readiness, and anxiety.

Behavioral: Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET)

Treatment As Usual

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the treatment-as-usual is considered as control group and received typical education program.

Interventions

Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET) BEHAVIORAL

ASSET program is a manualized, theory-driven, 10-week soft skills intervention for autistic individuals, who seek employment or who wish to maintain employment by improving work-related social skills. Throughout a 10-week curriculum offered in a school-based group setting, ASSET addresses the following competencies for workplace success: Communication, Networking, Enthusiasm and Attitude, Teamwork, Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking, Professionalism, Mental Health and Stress Management, and Awareness of Self and Others.

ASSET Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 22 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• aged between 14-22 years of age;
• have a diagnosis of autism without intellectual disabilities (i.e., autistic disorders, Asperger's syndrome, PDD-NOS, Rett's syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder according to DSM-IV or Autism Spectrum Disorder according to DSM 5);
• exhibit social problems as reported by self or caregiver.

You may not qualify if:

• have a co-occurring intellectual disability;
• have other neurological disorders or severe psychiatric disabilities.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Michigan State University: lead
• Illinois Institute of Technology: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Social Skills; Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social Behavior; Behavior; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Connie Sung, PhD

  Michigan State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

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

Model Details: The study uses a factorially designed randomized controlled trial \[2 conditions (treatment vs. waitlist) x 3 intervals pre-, post-, 3-month follow-up\].

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 15, 2024
• First Posted: August 2, 2024
• Study Start: December 18, 2018
• Primary Completion: May 22, 2023
• Study Completion: May 22, 2023
• Last Updated: August 2, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)