NCT05221515

The Effectiveness of an Attention-based Intervention for School Aged Autistic Children With Anger Regulating Problems

The Effectiveness of an Attention-based Intervention for School Aged Autistic Children With Anger Regulating Problems: a Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 51 (actual)
• Sponsor: VU University of Amsterdam · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 8 Years – 13 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Children on the autism spectrum often show aggressive behavior. Treatment can train children to be more aware of their emotions. Investigators studied the effectiveness of an attention-based intervention tailored on aggressive behavior problems and the use of anger coping strategies of school aged autistic children with anger regulation problems.

Detailed description

Investigators studied the effectiveness of an attention-based intervention tailored on aggressive behavior problems and the use of anger coping strategies of school aged autistic children with anger regulation problems. Using a randomized controlled trial (RCT), children were allocated to the attention-based treatment in combination with a psycho-educational parent-training (treatment group) or to the parent-training only (active control group).

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Anger can go!	The intervention "Anger Can Go!" was designed to treat anger regulation problems in autistic children aged 8 to 13 years old. The intervention consists of nine sessions of 60 minutes and is divided in four phases. Phase 1: psycho-education, affect-education and measuring anger with an anger-thermometer. This is a self-report scale presented as the drawing of a thermometer, that allows the child to indicate his level of anger, as linked to specific bodily and behavioral representations on a scale from 0 to 3. Phase 2: making a functional behavior assessment (FBA) and taking a time-out at a low anger-level (between 1 and 2 on the scale 0 to 3) to prevent aggressive outbursts. Phase 3: taking a time-out at a low anger-level (between 1 and 2 on the scale 0 to 3) to prevent aggressive outbursts, shifting attention away from aversive stimuli, to cope with the stress of the anger provoking situation. Phase 4: creating solutions to cope with an anger provoking situation.
BEHAVIORAL	Parent psycho-education	Three psycho-educational parent group sessions (take place before the children's sessions in intervention group). Parents meet with other parents and a therapist to learn about the nature of their Expressed Emotion (EE) and how it relates to the child's aggressive behavior.

Timeline

• Start date: 2011-01-01
• Primary completion: 2018-10-30
• Completion: 2018-10-30
• First posted: 2022-02-03
• Last updated: 2022-02-03

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: Netherlands