Examining the Active Ingredients of Consultation of a Parent-mediated Intervention for Autism

NCT ID: NCT04654117

Last Updated: 2025-04-03

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 41 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-10-01
• Study Completion Date: 2023-03-30

Brief Summary

Parent-mediated interventions are considered best practice for treating children with autism spectrum disorder, but these interventions are underutilized in community settings. Implementation strategies like consultation can improve the implementation of these interventions, but little is known about the active ingredients of consultation. This study uses an experimental design (ABCD single-case design with multiple baselines) to identify the active ingredients of a consultation model designed to support the implementation of a parent-mediated intervention for autism spectrum disorder in a low-resourced community mental health system.

Detailed Description

There are multiple evidence-based practices (EBPs) to treat autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet the gap from when EBPs are developed to when they reach community settings is 17 years. EBPs are consistently underused in community settings despite their well-studied effectiveness. One such EBP for treating ASD in young children is parent-mediated intervention.

Consultation is one method of supporting implementation that involves providing clinicians with support and feedback from intervention experts. For this study, consultation on an evidence-based parent-mediated intervention, Project ImPACT, will be the focus. Understanding the active ingredients that go into consultation is important to understand how consultation works so that it can be tailored to best meet the needs of community settings. This single-case experimental design (SCED) will manipulate three potential ingredients of consultation: feedback on taped sessions, case support, and skill rehearsal.

Groups of 3-5 providers per agency will be given 2 weeks to complete a 6-hour self-directed online tutorial on Project ImPACT utilized regularly by Project ImPACT consultants. Next, each agency will be randomly assigned to baselines lasting 3-6 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of each consultation component (total of 12 weeks). All agencies will receive consultation. The order of the consultation components will be randomized using a random number generator such that each agency has an equal chance of receiving one of the predetermined permutations of phases which are labeled in alphabetical order (e.g., equally as likely to be randomized to ABCD order as ADBC order). Across each phase, providers will record one session per week with their enrolled family and submit it via a HIPAA-compliant Drop-box link. Providers will complete weekly online questionnaires on implementation outcomes, with time reserved during consultation sessions to complete them. After consultation, providers will submit a final recorded session and questionnaire 8-weeks post-consultation. Caregivers will complete a measure of social communication for their child via online questionnaire at baseline, twice during consultation, and after 8 weeks post-consultation.

The feedback phase will involve the consultant and peers responding to the 5-minute clips of recorded telehealth sessions with praise and constructive feedback. The case support phase will be a time for the consultant and peers to assist in any challenges faced; for example, this could include issues with telehealth, caregiver coaching, or family/child needs. The skill rehearsal phase will allow for consultees to practice their clinical skills via role play.

This study will have 4 aims:

Specific Aim 1: Identify the potential active ingredients of the consultation model by evaluating its effects on providers' treatment adherence and parent-mediated intervention competence. The investigators predict that the feedback component will improve adherence and competence over and above improvements from the case support and skill rehearsal components.

Specific Aim 2: Examine the relative feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of each consultation component using a SCED component analysis. Feasibility is the extent to which a practice can be successfully carried out within a setting. Acceptability is the extent to which a practice is agreeable and satisfactory. Appropriateness is the perceived fit or relevance of a practice to address a problem. The investigators predict that providers will perceive the case support component to be the most feasible, acceptable, and appropriate of all components.

Specific Aim 3: Examine the effects of the consultation model on case penetration and the feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of the EBP (Project ImPACT). The investigators predict case penetration (i.e., total number of Project ImPACT cases on a provider's caseload divided by the total number of eligible clients) and EBP feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness to increase over time.

Exploratory Aim 4: Demonstrate associated social communication outcomes for Medicaid-enrolled children with ASD from baseline to post-consultation. Given that consultation leads to improved adherence and child outcomes and Project ImPACT results in improved child social communication outcomes, the investigators predict that our consultation model will be associated with improvements in child social communication skills.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Study Design

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

Study Groups

Baseline

Following completing the online tutorial, each agency will have a baseline lasting 3-6 weeks (this will be staggered by agency).

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Treatment (Consultation)

Consultation will be conducted in 4-week phases that correspond to the three consultation components. The phases will occur in a randomized order. During a given phase, no components of any other phases will be provided. Feedback phase. Consultees will submit 5-minute clips of session recordings of their Project ImPACT session with their enrolled family for feedback. Oral feedback will be provided by the consultant and peers. Case support phase. The consultant will lead the group in problem-solving common barriers that providers experience with their cases. Skill rehearsal phase. The consultant will lead skill rehearsal practices in which providers role play elements of a Project ImPACT session.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Consultee-centered administrative consultation

Intervention Type: OTHER

The consultee-centered administrative consultation model expressly focuses on supporting providers to increase EBP implementation within their specific setting.

Follow Up

During the follow-up period, consultation will not occur, and providers will continue implementing Project ImPACT with their cases. Eight weeks post-consultation, providers will submit a recorded Project ImPACT session with their enrolled family. Providers and caregivers will complete a final online questionnaire.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Consultee-centered administrative consultation

The consultee-centered administrative consultation model expressly focuses on supporting providers to increase EBP implementation within their specific setting.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Have at least one caregiver on their caseload who would be appropriate for Project ImPACT and who agrees to enroll in the study and have their sessions recorded.

• Parent or guardian of a child who has a community diagnosis of ASD established using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (a gold standard ASD assessment), receives services through the Medicaid Autism Benefit (requires a household income at or below 133% of the federal poverty line), is between the ages of 18 months and 6 years, which is the age range targeted for Project ImPACT, and has at least 1 session per week with the provider.
• Child's provider is enrolled in the study.

Exclusion Criteria

• Not qualified to bill for ABA services through the Medicaid Autism Benefit.
• Under age 18

• Under age 18

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Michigan State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Brooke Ingersoll

Professor of Psychology

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Brooke Ingersoll

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Michigan State University

Locations

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Countries

United States

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Other Identifiers

R40MC27705

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id