Autism clinical trials at UC Davis

The AIRB research team will compare the use and effectiveness of each intervention (Mind the Gap, Remaking Recess and Self Determination Learning Model of Instruction) with and without the addition of an implementation strategy, UNITED. In all groups, the research team will train community practitioners using remote delivery of professional development modules specific to the intervention, and active coaching for up to 12 sessions as dictated by the intervention procedures during a time span of 6 months. The research team will pair UNITED with three interventions that cover the ages of early childhood, childhood, and adolescence. These include Mind the Gap (MTG), a family navigation intervention for children newly diagnosed under age 8, Remaking Recess (RR), a school-based social/peer engagement intervention for children ages 5-12, and Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction (SDMLI), a self-advocacy intervention for adolescents (13-22 years; 22 is the upper age limit of high school for individuals with disabilities). For MTG, peer navigators (staff working in an organization that already works with parents) and parents (with children with ASD) will meet via phone or video conference for up to 12 sessions within a 6 month span (an hour each time). They will go over sessions that were created by the research group that help parents understand the system of acquiring services. The total time commitment for peer navigators is about 18 hours and for parents with children with ASD is about 8.5 hours. Identified families connected to the community organization will be matched with one peer navigator who will then guide and support the caregiver through completion of the MTG modules with active coaching of the family. Family needs and preferences will guide topic selection. Active coaching will occur via zoom, or over the phone, based on family preference and some recorded sessions will be shared with the research group for analyses. Mind the Gap will be available in English, Spanish, and Korean.

The AIRB research team will compare the use and effectiveness of each intervention (Mind the Gap, Remaking Recess and Self Determined Learning Model of Instruction) with and without the addition of our implementation strategy, UNITED. In all groups, the research team will train community practitioners using remote delivery of professional development modules specific to the intervention and active coaching as dictated by the intervention procedures. The research team will pair UNITED with three interventions that cover the ages of early childhood, childhood, and adolescence. These include Mind the Gap (MTG), a family navigation intervention for children newly diagnosed under age 8, Remaking Recess (RR), a school-based social/peer engagement intervention for children ages 5-12, and Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction (SDMLI), a self-advocacy intervention for adolescents (13-22 years; 22 is the upper age limit of high school for individuals with disabilities). For the SDLMI, school personnel will be trained to work with adolescents with ASD using the SDLMI model. This model will help students with ASD set their own goals and help attain them. The total time commitment for the school personnel is 1 school year (2 semesters) for about 47 hours. The total time commitment for the parent of the student with ASD is about 1 hour (sign consent/fill out demographic survey). The total time commitment for the student with ASD is 1 school year (2 semesters) for about 25.25 hours.

The overall goal of this study is to evaluate telehealth and internet-based approaches to meet accessibility challenges for families with concerns about ASD in their infants. In this study, we will gather exploratory data related to the potential of two telehealth tools: 1) The Telehealth Evaluation of Development for Infants (TEDI); and 2) "Help is in Your Hands" (HIIYH), a set of video materials and information on interactive strategies parents can use to support their child's communication development. We will recruit families participating in an ongoing study using the TEDI (R21 HD100372, PI: Talbott) to evaluate infants' behavioral development. As families exit the parent TEDI study and enter the current study, we will ask parents to complete online questionnaires, and randomize them to either receive immediate access to additional online materials (HIIYH) for parents or no additional materials. After 12 weeks, parents will complete online questionnaires and all families will then be given access to the online materials. When children reach 30 months, we will collect additional questionnaires, complete a live telehealth behavioral session with toddlers and their caregivers, and conduct an exit interview with parents to gather feedback about their experience.

The goal of this study is to test the effectiveness of the FANS-EI program in supporting caregiver engagement in caregiver-mediated early interventions for young children with autism. This study also examines caregiver-perceived social support and self-efficacy and FANS-EI implementation outcomes (feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness).