SKOLKONTAKT - Social Skills Training in a School Setting (SKOLKONTAKT)

SKOLKONTAKT - Social Skills Training in a School Setting, a Randomized Controlled Pilot

The study investigates the behavioral effects of an adapted manual-based social skills training program (SKOLKONTAKT) for the mainstream education plan delivered by school personnel, with pupils (15-20 years) with social-communication needs; either formally diagnosed (i.e. autism spectrum disorders or ADHD) or teacher-reported subclinical difficulties. N=40 are recruited from a community school in the Stockholm area (Sweden).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression; Anxiety; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: SKOLKONTAKT; Behavioral: Social activity group

Detailed Description

So far, research has failed to consider the effectiveness of social skills training in school settings, and has instead focused on clinical or laboratory settings. This approach presents an interesting paradox given that the primary goal of social skills training is to affect change in the child's behavior in everyday life including school. Research undertaken in authentic everyday environments is not only more likely to result in real world outcomes for children and adolescents with ASD and ADHD, but greater utility in guiding models of service delivery. The objective of the current line of research is to adapt and evaluate methods originally designed to support children and adolescents with ASD and ADHD in clinical settings ("KONTAKT"), to be feasible and effective in school settings, that can be conducted by school personnel, and are are applicable to children with autistic and inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive disorders, as well as other less defined special social needs ("SKOLKONTAKT").

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 33
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • Stockholm, Sweden, 113 30
    • CAP Research Center, Center of Neurodevelopmental disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND)

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 13 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Formally diagnosed autism spectrum disorder
• Formally diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Teacher-reported subclinical social-communication special needs

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe psychiatric comorbidity that challenges administration of the group-intervention, including but not limited to severe oppositional defiant disorder
• Severe psychiatric comorbidity that makes the participant to vulnerable to participate in the group-intervention, including but not limited to suicidality, severe depression

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Social skills group training SKOLKONTAKT; Manualised social skills group training.	Behavioral: SKOLKONTAKT; N=21 participants are offered manualized and structured group training SKOLKONTAKT. The intervention includes 12 weeks, 3 sessions (50 minutes) per week.; Other Names: SKOLKONTAKT Social skills training; SKOLKONTAKT Social skills group training; SKOLKONTAKT School-based social skills training
Active Comparator: Active control comparison group; Social activities in a group setting.	Behavioral: Social activity group; N=21 participants. The active comparison group includes 12 weeks, 3 sessions (50 minutes) per week. Sessions will include socially oriented activities such as board games, sports or baking as well as a recommended, general agenda.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Social Skills Group Questionnaire (SSGQ)	Social skills (parent-, self- and (blinded) teacher-reported), higher score indicating improvement in skills	Change in score from baseline after 12 weeks of social skills training and at 3 months follow-up. Total time frame 6 months.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-ll)	Autistic symptoms (parent-reported), decrease in scores indicating less clinical symptoms.	Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline) and at 3 months follow-up (24-25 weeks after baseline). Total time frame 6 months.
KIDSCREEN-27 (short version)	Health-related Quality of Life (self-reported).	Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline) and at 3 months follow-up (24-25 weeks after baseline).Total time frame 6 months.
Worlds Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0)	Daily functioning as affected by functional disability (parent-reported).	Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline) and at 3 months follow-up (24-25 weeks after baseline). Total time frame 6 months.
Conners 3-F	ADHD-related symptoms (parent-reported), decrease in scores indicating less clinical symptoms.	Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline) and at 3 months follow-up (24-25 weeks after baseline). Total time frame 6 months.
Negative Effects Questionnaire (NEQ)	Record of adverse events during intervention (parent-reported).	Change from baseline immediately after the intervention. Total time frame 3 months.
Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS)	Personalised goal-setting (self-reported). Goal attaingment reported on a five-point scale, where higher score indicates better outcome.	Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline). Total time frame 3 months.

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pre-assessment questionnaire	Expectations and person characteristics (parent and participant reported together) reported in a qualitative queastionnaire.	At baseline.
Evaluation questionnaire	Qualitative questionnaire for intervention evaluation (parent and participant reported together)	Reported immediately after the intervention.
Evaluation questionnaire (school-staff)	Qualitative questionnaire for intervention evaluation (school-staff reported)	Reported immediately after the intervention.
Evaluation questionnaire (principal)	Qualitative questionnaire for intervention evaluation (school principal-reported)	Reported immediately after the intervention.
School grade	Percent of grades indicating typical progress in subjects (teacher-reported)	Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention. Total time frame 3 months.
School attendance	Percent of school attendance (teacher-reported)	Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention. Total time frame 3 months.
Attendance in intervention-group	Number of sessions attended by participant (group-leader reported)	Summary score of attended sessions. Scored immediately following every session of the intervention (3 sessions/week; 12 weeks). Total time frame 3 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Karolinska Institutet
• Collaborators: Marcus och Amalia Wallenbergs minnesfond
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Sven Bölte, Professor, CAP Research center, Karolinska Institutet

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Choque Olsson N, Flygare O, Coco C, Gorling A, Rade A, Chen Q, Lindstedt K, Berggren S, Serlachius E, Jonsson U, Tammimies K, Kjellin L, Bolte S. Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2017 Jul;56(7):585-592. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2017.05.001. Epub 2017 May 10.
• Choque Olsson N, Rautio D, Asztalos J, Stoetzer U, Bolte S. Social skills group training in high-functioning autism: A qualitative responder study. Autism. 2016 Nov;20(8):995-1010. doi: 10.1177/1362361315621885. Epub 2016 Feb 24.
• Jonsson U, Olsson NC, Coco C, Gorling A, Flygare O, Rade A, Chen Q, Berggren S, Tammimies K, Bolte S. Long-term social skills group training for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2019 Feb;28(2):189-201. doi: 10.1007/s00787-018-1161-9. Epub 2018 May 10.

Helpful Links

• Homepage KIND.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 2, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 31, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): March 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 12, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 6, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): March 10, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 29, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 28, 2022
• Last Verified: March 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: School-based intervention; Social skills group training; Evidenced-based intervention
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Disease; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: SKOLKONTAKT

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No