NCT04295512

Adaptation and Implementation of an ASD Executive Functioning Intervention in Children's Mental Health Services

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 75 (actual)
• Sponsor: San Diego State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 5 Years – 13 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this project is to conduct a feasibility test of an ASD executive functioning intervention adapted for mental health settings, including examining the effectiveness and process of implementing this adapted intervention in community mental health programs.

Detailed description

This project will examine the implementation and effectiveness of an ASD executive functioning intervention, entitled Unstuck and On Target, adapted for use in community mental health clinics. Minimizing the impact of executive functioning deficits in youth has broad public health implications, including improving the effectiveness of mental health services for youth such as those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Improved executive functioning also has the potential for improvement in real-world functioning, including daily living skills, mental health, and educational outcomes. Although Unstuck and On Target is an established evidence-based intervention, the effectiveness of this intervention in mental health settings has not been established. Therefore, the primary aim is to collect data on implementation outcomes of the adapted intervention, including feasibility, utility, and therapist fidelity, in mental health settings. The secondary aim is to collect data on the preliminary effectiveness of Unstuck and On Target adapted for mental health settings. This study has the potential to make a significant impact by building local capacity to serve school-age children with executive functioning deficits in routine service settings, and advancing the science on the effectiveness of an established evidence-based practice (Unstuck and On Target) for specific services settings. It will also produce generalizable knowledge about implementation that can be applied for this population/setting.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Mental Health Disorder
• Executive Dysfunction

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Unstuck and on Target	Unstuck and on Target is a cognitive-behavioral treatment that directly addresses executive functioning and self-regulation deficits in ASD and ADHD. Unstuck and on Target is the first contextually-based executive functioning treatment that targets flexibility, goal-setting and planning through a cognitive behavioral program centered on self-regulatory scripts that are consistently modeled and reinforced. Unstuck and on Target will be adapted for use in mental health service settings. Mental health therapists will be trained in Unstuck and on Target and deliver to youth and caregivers.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-07-15
• Primary completion: 2023-05-20
• Completion: 2023-05-31
• First posted: 2020-03-04
• Last updated: 2025-02-27
• Results posted: 2025-02-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States