NCT04024111

Social Groups for Australian Children on the Autism Spectrum

The Development and Evaluation of a Social Skills Group Training for Australian Children on the Autism Spectrum

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 84 (actual)
• Sponsor: Curtin University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 8 Years – 12 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study evaluates the KONTAKT social skills group training in Australian children on the autism spectrum compared to an active control group which is a group Art class

Detailed description

KONTAKT is a manualized Social Skills Group Training program designed for children and adolescents with ASD which aims to improve communication, social interaction skills, reduce the severity of ASD symptoms, improve the ability to empathise and adapt in a group setting. A large randomized controlled trial in Sweden found that adolescents who participated in KONTAKT demonstrated improvements in social skills, behaviour, reduced stress and improved overall functioning as reported by parents immediately following and at three months after the program. However, social skills are at least in part influenced by social cultural contexts and there is a need to understand the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of KONTAKT in an Australian context. Moreover, in the previous studies, the social skills groups were compared to treatment as usual groups. Therefore, this study evaluates the KONTAKT social skills group training in Australian children on the autism spectrum compared to an active control group which is a group art class

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	KONTAKT(c)	KONTAKT is a manualized Social skills group training program designed for children and adolescents on the Autism Spectrum aimed at improving communication, social interaction skills, the severity of ASD symptoms, and the ability to empathise and adapt in a group setting. The KONTAKT participants (4-8 participants) meet face to face weekly for 16 weeks for 75 minutes facilitated by two health professionals with experience of running groups for autistic children
OTHER	Art group	Art program, a manualized Art group delivered in a social format, has been designed for children on the Autism Spectrum delivered by health professionals with experience of running social groups for Autistic children. The Art program's participants (4-8 participants) meet face to face weekly for 16 weeks for 75 minutes.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-12-01
• Primary completion: 2023-10-01
• Completion: 2023-10-01
• First posted: 2019-07-18
• Last updated: 2024-02-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Australia