Cognitive Support Technology for Postsecondary Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Cognitive Support Technology for Postsecondary Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial at the Intervention Efficacy Stage of Research

This study will fill important knowledge gaps in the availability of best practices that use innovative methods to integrate the cognitive and vocational needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who will be transitioning from 2- and 4-year postsecondary education to employment. Best practices exist from the assistive technology (AT) field to help people compensate for cognitive impairments, and from the vocational rehabilitation (VR) field to enhance employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. However, these practices have not been integrated to provide needed supports and services to improve the employment outcomes of students with ASD. The study's goal is to expand the availability of innovative practices by testing the efficacy of a technology-driven, long-term, and resource-rich individualized support program that merges assistive technology for cognition and vocational rehabilitation practices. The end products will include technology application guidelines, training and procedural manuals, and resource information that rehabilitation professionals and students with ADS can utilize to enhance technology and mentoring proficiency, academic success, self-determination, and long-term career success for students with ASD.

The knowledge to be gained from this research will have a beneficial impact on students with ASD, rehabilitation professionals, higher education personnel, case managers, and employers who work with people with ASD. There is strong potential for the students to develop skills that will help them succeed in learning as well as employment settings. The ultimate benefit of research activities for the target population will be seen in the improved capacity for postsecondary students with ADS to utilize state-of-the-art technology to accommodate disability-related limitations, address career readiness, and to prepare for and obtain employment after graduation.

Because the risks to subjects are no greater than those associated with everyday life and because the study staff will refer students who are in psychological distress or medical emergency situations to appropriate resources in the community, the minimal risks of this study justify the considerable benefits that this study will yield. Not only will the study benefit participating students, it stands to make important contributions to the knowledge bases in the fields of assistive technology and rehabilitation.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Cognitive Support Technology (CST)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Mykal Leslie, PhD; Phone Number: 3306725798; Email: mleslie8@kent.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Phillip Rumrill, PhD; Phone Number: 3306720600; Email: prumrill@kent.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Kent, Ohio, United States, 44242-0001
      • Recruiting
      • Kent State University
      • Contact: Phillip Rumrill, PhD; Phone Number: 3306720600; Email: prumrill@kent.edu
      • Contact: Mykal J Leslie, PhD; Phone Number: 330-672-5798; Email: mleslie8@kent.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Must be a post-secondary student enrolled in degree programs at two-year and four-year colleges or universities within a 60-mile radius of Kent, Ohio
• Must have a clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

• No other exclusion criteria will be applied

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Full Treatment; Steps of the Intervention Condition. Following an in-person session in which a pretest assessment is completed, each member of the intervention group will participate in three face-to-face sessions with the interventionist at the student's campus or at the interventionist's office to complete the CST component of the intervention. Taking into consideration available psychoeducational assessment data, functional assessments from other agencies, and the participant's self-report regarding the functional difficulties that result from his or her ASD-related cognitive impairments, Scherer's (2012) Matching Person and Technology (MPT) protocol will guide the CST assessment. For purposes of the CST component of this intervention, the technological platform for cognitive accommodations will be an iPad II that is provided to each intervention-group participant at no charge (including wireless access if needed). The interventionist will provide training in the use of the iPad if necessary.	Behavioral: Cognitive Support Technology (CST); Cognitive Support Technology (CST) products and strategies are used to help people with disabilities compensate for or accommodate cognitive limitations (including those related to interpersonal communication and social cognition) that present difficulties for them in the performance of desired social roles, especially education and employment. CSTs may be mainstream everyday technologies such as tablet computers or they may be specialized devices designed for specific goals such as step-by-step instruction in the performance of a particular task (Scherer, 2012).
Active Comparator: Abbreviated Treatment; Steps of the Control Condition. Following an in-person session in which the pretest assessment is completed, each member of the control group will participate in two telephone or Skype sessions with the interventionist to discuss her or his needs for electronic cognitive supports. An abbreviated version of Scherer's (2012) MPT assessment will be administered via telephone or Skype in the first of these virtually-administered sessions. In the second telephone or Skype session, the interventionist will summarize the results of the abbreviated MPT assessment, suggest a variety of cognitive enhancement apps for tablet computers or smart phones that the control group participant can consider.	Behavioral: Cognitive Support Technology (CST); Cognitive Support Technology (CST) products and strategies are used to help people with disabilities compensate for or accommodate cognitive limitations (including those related to interpersonal communication and social cognition) that present difficulties for them in the performance of desired social roles, especially education and employment. CSTs may be mainstream everyday technologies such as tablet computers or they may be specialized devices designed for specific goals such as step-by-step instruction in the performance of a particular task (Scherer, 2012).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Grade Point Average (GPA)	Participant GPA	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Current academic standing		Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Post-Secondary Enrollment Status	% of participants still enrolled in a postsecondary program	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Satisfaction with current living status and transportation access	Measured using single item 5-point Likert question on questionnaire	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Satisfaction with Social Support	Measured using single item 5-point Likert question on questionnaire	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Current Employment Status	Three items on questionnaire including dichotomous employment question (e.g., are you employed?), if yes, number of hours employed and weekly earnings.	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
% of Participants Receiving Disability Benefits	Whether participants receive SSDI and/or SSI benefits or not	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Depression Symptoms	Measured using Beck Depression Inventory- II (BDI-II)	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Overall Health Status	Measured using RAND 36-item Health Survey	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Perceived Stress	Measured using Perceived Stress Scale- 10	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Acceptance of Disability	Measured using the Acceptance of Disability Scale- Short Form	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)
Quality of Life (QoL)	Measured using the Qualify of Life Scale	Baseline (enrollment in study), 6 months, and 1 year (study completion)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kent State University
• Collaborators: Virginia Commonwealth University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): June 30, 2024
• Study Completion (Anticipated): June 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 17, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 19, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): July 28, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 28, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 19, 2021
• Last Verified: July 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive
• Other Study ID Numbers: 20-069

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