NCT02567357

Parents Resources for Decreasing the Incidence of Change Triggered Temper Outbursts

PREDICTORS (Parents Resources for Decreasing the Incidence of Change Triggered Temper Outbursts)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Queen's University, Belfast · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 7 Years – 16 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

'PREDICTORS' (Parents Resources for Decreasing the Incidence of Change Triggered Temper Outbursts) aims to evaluate web-based training packages for caregivers of children who show frequent temper outbursts following changes to their routines and plans. The training packages will teach caregivers how to apply strategies that aim to reduce the number of temper outbursts that the children show following changes, as well as making any outbursts they do show less severe (less functionally impairing).

Detailed description

The aims of PREDICTORS are: 1. To refine the tools to implement and evaluate a resource-efficient caregiver training program for signalling changes to children with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorders. 2. To pilot the program to test the feasibility of taking it forward into a clinical trial. 3. To conduct a process and economic evaluation of the pilot intervention to provide further data on its suitability for a clinical trial. Parents/caregivers of children aged 7-16 years old who frequently show temper outbursts when things change in their routines or plans will keep a web-based diary accessed via smart phone or other device on their child's temper outbursts for a 6 month period (baseline). After 6 months of keeping this diary, parents/caregivers will then access web-based training for approximately 1 month which will include sessions to study once or twice per week as well as exercises to practice in between sessions. After the training is complete parents will be asked to implement the strategies they have learnt in the 6 months that follow. In addition researchers from the university will telephone parents/ caregivers to ask some questions about their child's temper outbursts and on the effects this behaviour has on daily life. Parents will be interviewed at three points during the study (before baseline, after baseline, before intervention and after intervention phases). Interviews will focus on gathering information of their child's behaviour. Focus groups with relevant experienced professionals and parents (not participating in the main part of the study) will guide the training resource development and development and content of the behaviour diary used by parents during the study.

Conditions

• Child Behavior

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Visual Scheduling	Caregivers will present a visual schedule with pictorial representations of activities/events expected to occur each day will be presented to children at set times of day (tailored for individual's schedules). Ultimately caregivers will aim to ensure that activities occur as per the schedule as far as possible - thus decreasing the child's level of exposure to unexpected changes in routines or plans.
BEHAVIORAL	signalling change	Caregivers will present a distinct visual-verbal cue card whenever they become aware that a change to the child's routine or plan is about to occur. Thus, the intervention uses a stimulus control approach so that the child learns that presentation of the cue reliably predicts the subsequent occurrence of a change to routine/plan, and the change is therefore more predictable and easier for the child to deal with.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-01-01
• Primary completion: 2017-05-01
• Completion: 2017-06-01
• First posted: 2015-10-05
• Last updated: 2020-02-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom