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

Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET) in Traumatic Brain Injury

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Traumatic Brain Injury
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training (ASSET)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jeannie Lengenfelder; Phone Number: 19733248447; Email: jlengenfelder@kesslerfoundation.org
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Nancy Moore; Phone Number: 973.324.8450; Email: nbmoore@kesslerfoundation.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • New Jersey
    • East Hanover, New Jersey, United States, 07936
      • Recruiting
      • Kessler Foundation
      • Contact: Nancy Moore; Phone Number: 973-324-8450; Email: nbmoore@kesslerfoundation.org

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 25 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

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)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Treatment

Behavioral: 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.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Social Skills Questionnaire for Traumatic Brain Injury	This is a 41-tem scale to assess social skills in TBI	Within 2 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kessler Foundation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jeannie Lengenfelder, Kessler Foundation

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 5, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 9, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 30, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): January 31, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 26, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 24, 2023
• Last Verified: October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Craniocerebral Trauma; Trauma, Nervous System; Brain Injuries; Wounds and Injuries; Brain Injuries, Traumatic
• Other Study ID Numbers: E-1201-22

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