At a glance
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Project ASSIST: Advocating for Supports to Improve Service Transitions
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating ASSIST for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Autism. Completed, enrolled 185 participants across 3 sites.
Detailed Summary
This is a randomized intervention study to develop and test the national curriculum of a parent intervention training targeting parent's ability for advocate for services to improve the transition to adulthood for their youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). UPDATE regarding COVID-19: Due to social distancing restrictions, the in-person intervention series that began in Winter 2020 was paused in Spring 2020 for Cohort 1 intervention groups (TN and IL). The series resumed in Summer 2020 via synchronous web-conferencing. In response to continued pandemic regulations, ASSIST was permanently moved to synchronous web-conferencing in Fall 2020, and this method was the mode of delivery for all remaining sessions and series at all sites (TN, IL, WI). The remaining baseline data was also moved to remote collection through online interview and questionnaires in Spring 2020. The data collection for all follow ups and check ins (6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 month) were completed through web conference and/or phone calls in addition to online surveys. The final data collection for experimental and control groups from all sites will be complete by Summer 2023.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
The ASSIST program is a 12-week advocacy training to educate parents of youth with autism about the adult service system (note that an optional 13th session on secondary transition planning can be offered if ASSIST is being delivered to families of youth who are in high school). It is a group training, comprised of didactic instruction, family-sharing activities, case studies, and group discussions. The ASSIST program for the proposed study will be directed at each site by an experienced Program Facilitator from the community with knowledge about group processes, person-centered planning, and adult service systems, who will be coached by a member of the study team. The ASSIST program will be delivered in full partnership with the local disability community. In most sessions, the Program Facilitator will be aided by community content experts who present the specifics of each topic.