Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET) in TBI Injury

NCT ID: NCT05705817

Last Updated: 2023-10-26

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 20 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-06-05
• Study Completion Date: 2024-06-01

Brief Summary

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often associated with difficulties in social functioning. Loss of social contacts and difficulties maintaining social connections is common after pediatric TBI, extending into adulthood. Social skills are a key aspect of social functioning critical to forming and maintaining social relationships with others, including family, friends, teachers and co-workers. Social skills deficits are thus critical to social participation and overall quality of life. The identification of treatment techniques to effectively address these issues are thus of paramount importance. The ability to improve social skills in adolescents and young adults is critical as they transition from school settings into the workforce. Impairments in social skills have been demonstrated to underlie difficulties transitioning from school to work and independent living in students with disabilities. Therefore, targeting social skills interventions as individuals enter adulthood and enter the workforce is likely to improve overall functioning during this transitional period in their lives.

The current study will examine preliminary efficacy of a manualized group intervention that targets social skills, specifically work-related social skills known as soft skills. Targeting not only general social skills, but soft skills in particular, is expected to be particularly useful for teens and young adults as they transition from school into the workforce.

The Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET) is a 15-session training program that combines specific skill training, structured learning, social performance training and a social hour to practice skills through a manualized group intervention. Specific skills taught within the program include communication, attitude and enthusiasm, teamwork, networking, problem-solving and critical thinking, professionalism, mental health and stress management, awareness of self and others, workplace relationships and self-advocacy. ASSET utilizes a manualized curriculum and provides additional support including handouts, PowerPoint summaries, instructional procedures, video models, materials for caregivers, and an online platform to support learning the program. ASSET has been utilized with young adults with ASD with very positive results, improving performance on measures of social skills, social communication, self-confidence/self-efficacy and psychological wellness. The current proposal will test the efficacy of the ASSET program in youth and young adults with TBI between the ages of 15 and 25, a critical time as individuals' transition from school settings into the workforce. The proposal will evaluate the primary outcome of improvements in social skills following completion of the ASSET program. Secondary outcomes of self-efficacy, depression, anxiety and quality of life will also be evaluated following completion of the program.

Conditions

Traumatic Brain Injury

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Treatment

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The ASSET program is a 15-session training program that combines specific skill training, structured learning, social performance training and a social hour to practice skills through a manualized group intervention. Specific skills taught within the program include communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking, problem-solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.

Interventions

Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET)

The ASSET program is a 15-session training program that combines specific skill training, structured learning, social performance training and a social hour to practice skills through a manualized group intervention. Specific skills taught within the program include communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking, problem-solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 15-25
• At least one year post injury.

Exclusion Criteria

• any other significant neurological history other than their TBI.
• unstable or uncontrolled seizures (as defined by an increase in the rate of seizures over the 3 months before study participation)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 15 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 25 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Kessler Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Jeannie Lengenfelder

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Kessler Foundation

Locations

Kessler Foundation

East Hanover, New Jersey, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Jeannie Lengenfelder

Role: CONTACT

jlengenfelder@kesslerfoundation.org

19733248447

Nancy Moore

Role: CONTACT

nbmoore@kesslerfoundation.org

973.324.8450

Facility Contacts

Nancy Moore

Role: primary

nbmoore@kesslerfoundation.org

973-324-8450

Other Identifiers

E-1201-22

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id