The AMOR Method: Resilience Training for Parents of Children With Autism

NCT ID: NCT03513419

Last Updated: 2021-05-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 36 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-05-25
• Study Completion Date: 2020-02-29

Brief Summary

We will evaluate whether a resilience training program which includes group and individual parent training will be effective in improving optimism and resiliency in parents of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). By observing the level of parent optimism and resiliency before and after intervention, we will be able to determine whether the intervention is effective in improving parent resilience.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

AMOR Method

The AMOR Method: The parent resilience training involves a series of eight weekly 90-minute group sessions, as well as three individual sessions. Group session content includes training in mindfulness, grief and loss processing, acceptance and committed actions, optimistic thinking, and resilience through the use of didactic training, group discussions, and homework assignments. Individual session content will center on additional and individualized training in grief and loss processing, optimistic thinking, and maintaining resilience over time.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

The AMOR Method

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The parent resilience training involves a series of eight weekly 90-minute group sessions with up to 8 parents of young children with ASD (4- 10:11 years old) per group, as well as three individual sessions.

Wait List

Participants assigned to the waitlist will continue stable treatments and will be offered the opportunity to participate in the treatment after completion of the 8-week trial.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

The AMOR Method

The parent resilience training involves a series of eight weekly 90-minute group sessions with up to 8 parents of young children with ASD (4- 10:11 years old) per group, as well as three individual sessions.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Parents eligible to participate include parents: a) English-speaking, b) of a child aged 4:0 to 10:11 years, c) with a previous diagnosis of ASD and evidence of current social impairment (SRS-2) and repetitive behaviors (RBS-R), and d) who are able to consistently participate in sessions. Given budgetary constraints, direct diagnostic testing will not be feasible. Instead, child diagnostic status will be confirmed through review of the child's medical record for evidence that the child previously met ADOS criteria for ASD and shows clinically significant social impairment at baseline (SRS-2 T>65).

Parents who are not eligible to participate include parents: a) with severe psychiatric, genetic, or medical disorder among parents and/or children, b) taking psychiatric medication, and c) with elevated resilience scores at baseline (Total Score >80 on CD-RISC). The DSM-5 CCSM will be administered to parents to screen for parent mental illness. Any identified issues on the DSM-5 CCSM will be investigated further by the PI to rule out severe psychiatric disorders.

Exclusion Criteria

a) Severe psychiatric, genetic, or medical disorder among parents and/or children, b) parents taking psychiatric medication, and c) parents with elevated resilience scores at baseline (Total Score>80 on CD-RISC). The DSM-5 Cross Cutting Symptom Measure (DSM-5 CCSM) will be administered to parents to screen for parent mental illness. Any identified issues on the DSM-5 CCSM will be investigated further by the PI to rule out severe psychiatric disorders. These families will be referred for behavioral consultation (available in our clinic) and then be reconsidered for group participation.

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Stanford University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Grace Gengoux

Clinical Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Stanford University

Stanford, California, United States

Countries

United States

References

Schwartzman JM, Millan ME, Uljarevic M, Gengoux GW. Resilience Intervention for Parents of Children with Autism: Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial of the AMOR Method. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022 Feb;52(2):738-757. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-04977-y. Epub 2021 Mar 28.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 33774741 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

45774

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id