Social Skills and Anxiety Reduction Treatment for Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders

November 6, 2013 updated by: Susan White, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

A Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study will develop and test a treatment aimed at reducing anxiety in social situations for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are developmental disorders with similar features, including problems communicating, problems interacting socially, and the presence of routines or repetitive behaviors. These disorders can have a range of severities. They include autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). In addition to their core impairment in social functioning, children and adolescents with ASDs often have anxiety about social interactions, which compounds their difficulties and can limit the benefits of treatment. This study will develop and test a treatment program for developing social skills and reducing anxiety in children and adolescents with ASDs.

Participation in this study will last 12 to 14 weeks, with follow-up visits occurring 3 and 12 months after that. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the treatment program either immediately or after being on a wait list. The treatment program will consist of 12 to 14 weekly individual therapy sessions that teach children and adolescents about ASDs, use cognitive-behavioral interventions to address problematic thinking and acting, deliver social skills instruction, and give opportunities to practice skills-including some practice outside the clinic in naturalistic settings. Every 2 weeks, starting at Week 4, children and adolescents will also attend group sessions to discuss strategies and practice social skills. Parents of the participants will be included at the end of each individual session for several minutes. After the participants assigned to immediate treatment complete the program, participants from the wait list will be offered the treatment.

Child and adolescent participants and their parents will complete assessments at baseline, midpoint in treatment, post-treatment (Week 12 or 14), and 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Participants assigned to the wait list condition will complete assessments only at baseline, before entering treatment (Week 12 or 14), and after completing treatment. Assessments will involve questionnaires about social and emotional functioning, interviews with study researchers, and surveys on satisfaction with the study. The child or adolescent's primary teacher will also complete questionnaires about the child.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

30

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Blacksburg, Virginia, United States, 24061
        • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

12 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of autism, Asperger's syndrome, or pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), as determined by clinical interview and supported by the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)
  • Has completed assessment of brief verbal intelligence quotient (IQ), with a score of 70 or higher on the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI)
  • Symptoms of anxiety, defined as a clinical severity rating of 4 or higher on one of the following sections of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children (ADIS-C) and parents (ADIS-P): generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, specific phobia, agoraphobia, or separation anxiety disorder
  • If on psychiatric medication, on stable dose for 4 weeks prior to baseline assessment with no planned changes to medication for anxiety

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Psychopathology that warrants a different type of immediate clinical care
  • Severe aggression, as determined by clinical judgment
  • Mental retardation, as reported by parents or in previous psychoeducational testing supplied by parents
  • Child and family currently in therapy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program
Participants will receive a treatment program involving CBT plus adjunctive group counseling and parent training.
Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program
12 to 14 weekly sessions of individual CBT and parent training with 5 sessions of group counseling every other week
No Intervention: Wait list control
Participants will be placed on a 12-week wait list with no active treatment

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory 20-Item Anxiety Subscale (CASI-20)
Time Frame: Measured at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up
Measured at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Susan W White, PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2008

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 22, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 22, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

June 23, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

November 7, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 6, 2013

Last Verified

November 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • K01MH079945 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • DDTR B2-MBA (Other Grant/Funding Number: National Institute of Mental Health)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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