Social Skills and Anxiety Reduction Treatment for Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders

NCT ID: NCT00926471

Last Updated: 2013-11-07

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE1

Total Enrollment

30 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2008-09-30

Study Completion Date

2013-01-31

Brief Summary

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This study will develop and test a treatment aimed at reducing anxiety in social situations for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.

Detailed Description

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Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are developmental disorders with similar features, including problems communicating, problems interacting socially, and the presence of routines or repetitive behaviors. These disorders can have a range of severities. They include autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). In addition to their core impairment in social functioning, children and adolescents with ASDs often have anxiety about social interactions, which compounds their difficulties and can limit the benefits of treatment. This study will develop and test a treatment program for developing social skills and reducing anxiety in children and adolescents with ASDs.

Participation in this study will last 12 to 14 weeks, with follow-up visits occurring 3 and 12 months after that. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the treatment program either immediately or after being on a wait list. The treatment program will consist of 12 to 14 weekly individual therapy sessions that teach children and adolescents about ASDs, use cognitive-behavioral interventions to address problematic thinking and acting, deliver social skills instruction, and give opportunities to practice skills-including some practice outside the clinic in naturalistic settings. Every 2 weeks, starting at Week 4, children and adolescents will also attend group sessions to discuss strategies and practice social skills. Parents of the participants will be included at the end of each individual session for several minutes. After the participants assigned to immediate treatment complete the program, participants from the wait list will be offered the treatment.

Child and adolescent participants and their parents will complete assessments at baseline, midpoint in treatment, post-treatment (Week 12 or 14), and 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Participants assigned to the wait list condition will complete assessments only at baseline, before entering treatment (Week 12 or 14), and after completing treatment. Assessments will involve questionnaires about social and emotional functioning, interviews with study researchers, and surveys on satisfaction with the study. The child or adolescent's primary teacher will also complete questionnaires about the child.

Conditions

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Autistic Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive

Keywords

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Autism Anxiety Autism Spectrum Disorders with Comorbid Anxiety

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program

Participants will receive a treatment program involving CBT plus adjunctive group counseling and parent training.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

12 to 14 weekly sessions of individual CBT and parent training with 5 sessions of group counseling every other week

Wait list control

Participants will be placed on a 12-week wait list with no active treatment

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program

12 to 14 weekly sessions of individual CBT and parent training with 5 sessions of group counseling every other week

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Diagnosis of autism, Asperger's syndrome, or pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), as determined by clinical interview and supported by the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)
* Has completed assessment of brief verbal intelligence quotient (IQ), with a score of 70 or higher on the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI)
* Symptoms of anxiety, defined as a clinical severity rating of 4 or higher on one of the following sections of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children (ADIS-C) and parents (ADIS-P): generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, specific phobia, agoraphobia, or separation anxiety disorder
* If on psychiatric medication, on stable dose for 4 weeks prior to baseline assessment with no planned changes to medication for anxiety

Exclusion Criteria

* Psychopathology that warrants a different type of immediate clinical care
* Severe aggression, as determined by clinical judgment
* Mental retardation, as reported by parents or in previous psychoeducational testing supplied by parents
* Child and family currently in therapy
Minimum Eligible Age

12 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

17 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Susan White

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Susan W White, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Locations

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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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K01MH079945

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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DDTR B2-MBA

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

K01MH079945

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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