Evaluating the Feasibility of Collecting User Interaction Data at the Emory Autism Center Using MapHabit Software

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the MapHabit System on autistic transition-age youth (ages 18-24) as they navigate key life transitions including graduating from high school, entering adult services, pursuing employment or education, and community-based living.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autism
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: MapHabit System (MHS)

Detailed Description

This study aims to evaluate whether the MAPHabit System can improve functional ability and quality of life in autistic transition-age young adults (ages 18-30) during key life transitions by teaching skills and providing cognitive support. MAPHabit is a daily living support app to help individuals, caregivers, and families build routines and increase independence.

The study will recruit at Emory Autism Center (Georgia) 140 autistic young adults ages 18-30 who are navigating transitions such as graduating high school, entering adult services, pursuing employment or education, and community-based living. Each participant will be in the study for 6 months.

The study uses a single-arm, pre-post design where participants complete some outcome assessments at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months while using the MapHabit visual mapping intervention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 140
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Mikle South, PhD; Phone Number: 860-299-4291; Email: research@maphabit.com

Study Locations

• United States
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322
      • The Emory Clinic

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 24 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 -24 years old at time of enrollment
• Documented diagnosis of Autism, confirmed through prior clinical evaluation and diagnostic reports
• Ability to provide informed consent independently or availability of legally authorized representative

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children
• Inability to provide consent or lack of availability of a legally authorized representative
• Active crisis requiring intensive intervention

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• 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: MapHabit System Arm; Participants will use the MapHabit System for 6 months to help them accomplish activities of daily living and build independent habits.

Behavioral: MapHabit System (MHS); The MapHabit System (MHS) is a commercially available visual mapping software application that utilizes visual, audio, and text media to create step-by-step visual guides to help participants accomplish activities of daily living (ADL) and build independent habits. The goal of the application is to develop and facilitate habits and routines using structured visual and auditory stimuli that can be customized by the user and can include educational and lesson-based material in addition to ADLs. It will be delivered using mobile application (iOS/Android tablets provided to participants) and/or printed materials.; Other Names: Investigational Digital Intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) Score	Quality of life as assessed by the WHOQOL-BREF, a 26-item self-report questionnaire measuring physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental domains. Domain scores are transformed to a scale ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention
Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) Score	Psychological distress as assessed by the DASS-21, a 21-item self-report measure of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. Total scores range from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress and symptom severity.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention
Modified American Institutes for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale Total Score	Assessed by a modified AIR Self-Determination Scale evaluating self-determination capacity and opportunity, including autonomy, self-regulation, psychological empowerment, and goal-directed behavior, with additional items related to employment and educational outcomes. The overall self-determination score is reported as a percentage from 0% to 100%, with higher scores indicating greater self-determination.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention
Number of participants based on Vocational and Educational Participation Status	Participation in employment, vocational training, educational programs, volunteer activities, and other structured weekly activities as assessed by a vocational and educational interview. This outcome includes the number of participants engaged in each activity category at the assessment time point.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention
Number of Participants by Reliable Change Index (RCI) Classification	The RCI will be used to classify participants as improved, unchanged, or deteriorated based on meaningful change from baseline.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
MapHabit Application Use Frequency	Frequency of visual map use will be reported per participant by MapHabit system analytics. Higher values indicate greater use of the intervention.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention
MapHabit Activity Adherence	Adherence to planned activities supported by the MapHabit application as measured by MapHabit system analytics. Adherence will be assessed based on participant completion and use patterns recorded within the platform. Higher adherence values indicate greater engagement with intervention-related activities.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention
Number of Maps Accessed or Created in MapHabit	Participant engagement with the MapHabit system as measured by the total number of visual maps created and/or accessed during the study period, as captured through automated backend analytics. Higher values indicate greater platform utilization.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention
Time Spent Using the MapHabit Application	Total duration of use of the MapHabit application during the study period, measured through automated backend analytics and reported in minutes per day.	Baseline, 3 and 6 months post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Emory University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Patricia Aguayo, MD, Emory University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 29, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 29, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): October 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 29, 2026
• Last Verified: September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic Disorder
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2025P013877

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in published articles.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Start: 12 months after publication of the primary results. If primary results are not published within 24 months of study completion, data will become available 24 months after study completion. End: 5 years after the start date.

• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Data will be shared with qualified investigators at research institutions whose institution can execute a data use agreement, and who hold IRB approval or a formal exemption/non-human-subjects determination for the proposed secondary analysis.; For any methodologically sound proposal consistent with the consent participants provided, including replication of published analyses, secondary analyses of the study measures, and inclusion in individual-participant-data meta-analyses. Prohibited uses include any attempt at re-identification, redistribution to third parties, and commercial or marketing use.; Data will be deposited with [the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)] as a restricted-use collection. Requests will be reviewed and administered by the repository, with access provided through its secure environment. The study team will not adjudicate requests individually. The dataset DOI will be added to this registration record upon deposit.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

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