Study Results
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Basic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
113 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2018-01-30
2024-07-30
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
SINGLE
Study Groups
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Emotion Awareness/Skills Enhancement
EASE Therapy includes 16 weekly sessions focused on mindfulness exercise, review of prior content, practicing prior skills, outline of current session, discussion of the new skill, handouts, practice and plan for out of session practice held in Webster Hall in Pittsburgh, at the Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems in Tuscaloosa or via telehealth conferencing software. The investigators will apply a multimodal teaching approach, where individual therapy is buttressed by parent involvement and practice sessions in the youth's community. A secure website developed for this project (emotion-Coach or "e-Coach") will augment the intervention by providing online supports to increase treatment intensity or dosage. There will be specific information on how to reinforce the skills at home and in the community.
EASE
Weekly behavioral sessions with therapist to work on emotional control through measures such as mindfulness.
Supportive Therapy
Supportive Therapy will involve attending 16 weekly therapy sessions held in Webster Hall in Pittsburgh, at the Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems in Tuscaloosa or via telehealth conferencing software. The intervention will not involve mindfulness or other emotion regulation strategies used in EASE. The therapy will be tailored to the individual's needs and will include aspects common in supportive therapy such as reflective listening, antecedent management, and problem-solving. This program does not have an online component.
Supportive Therapy
Weekly behavioral sessions with a therapist to work on emotional control
Interventions
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EASE
Weekly behavioral sessions with therapist to work on emotional control through measures such as mindfulness.
Supportive Therapy
Weekly behavioral sessions with a therapist to work on emotional control
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
2. A diagnosis of ASD (autism spectrum disorder), as defined by exceeding the ASD cutoff on the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale) or ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised) In. If the participant has completed the ADOS in a previous study within 3 years and signs a release of information to obtain it, they will not be required to complete another ADOS.
3. Average verbal intellectual ability (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-2 \[WASI-2\] FSIQ \>=75).
4. Fluent in the English language
5. Problems with regulating emotions based on parent report 6) Parent/guardian who will attend sessions and assessments.
Exclusion Criteria
2. Previous or current diagnosis of a psychotic disorder.
3. Receiving concurrent psychotherapy treatment for emotional issues (i.e., depression, anxiety, anger) that overlaps with the current study. This will be assessed using current treatment items on the demographic forms.
12 Years
21 Years
ALL
No
Sponsors
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University of Alabama at Birmingham
OTHER
University of Pittsburgh
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Carla Mazefsky
Professor
Principal Investigators
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Carla Mazefsky, PhD
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of Pittsburgh
Susan White
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Locations
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University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States
Shannondora Porton
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Countries
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References
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White SW, Elias R, Capriola-Hall NN, Smith IC, Conner CM, Asselin SB, Howlin P, Getzel EE, Mazefsky CA. Development of a College Transition and Support Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 2017 Oct;47(10):3072-3078. doi: 10.1007/s10803-017-3236-8.
White SW, Conner CM, Beck K, Mazefsky CA. Efficacy of the Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) Program in Autism: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Jul 31:S0890-8567(25)01410-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.1058. Online ahead of print.
Provided Documents
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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan
Other Identifiers
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STUDY20110317
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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