Empowering Caregivers to Promote Child Independence

Conditions

• Profound Autism

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

10 Years - 17 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• CAST Treatment — BEHAVIORAL
  Activity completion will be evaluated based the number of consecutive and total activities completed, duration of sustained activity engagement, prompts or redirection, and adult proximity at baseline and post-trial.

Study Details

The proposed study aims to address the unique needs of caregivers and their adolescent children with profound autism. The constant supervision and 24/7 care that caregivers need to provide their children to ensure their health and safety often leaves little time for household duties, self-care routines, and spending time with family and friends. Investigators aim to alleviate the vigilant monitoring provided by caregivers for brief periods by increasing their child's independent, sustained engagement in meaningful activities and improving the quality of life for both adolescents with profound autism and their caregivers. Caregivers will either receive training to use picture-based activity schedules or continue with their usual routines. After the study, caregivers who continued their usual routines will also be offered the training. Investigators will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the training based on the children's performance, pre- and post-study improvement ratings, and caregiver feedback.

Key Dates

Start date

Jul 15, 2025

Status verified

Jul 2025

Primary completion

Mar 31, 2026

Completion

Mar 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

32 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• No Intervention: Treatment as Usual
  Treatment as Usual (TAU) will consist of 3-6 weeks of continuing usual care.
• Experimental: Caregiver Activity Schedules Treatment
  Caregiver Activity Schedules Treatment (CAST) consists of a picture-based activity schedule compiled into binders created for each participant. Activities for each participant will be selected with caregivers to include preference and feasibility. Activity steps include 1) opening the schedule/turning the page, 2) orienting to the picture, 3) retrieving the activity, 4) completing the activity, 5) putting the activity away, and 6) repeating each step until all activities are completed. Graduated guidance without verbal prompts will be used to support schedule completion. Implementer proximity will be faded within and between sessions. Caregivers will receive written descriptions of procedures. The researcher will describe and model all procedures and answer questions. Caregivers will implement procedures with their child and receive in-vivo feedback.

Primary Outcome Measure

Number of Participant Accrued [ Time Frame: Until accrual is complete, approximately 1 year ]

Central Contacts

• Alice Shillingsburg, PhD, BCBA-D
  402-559-3098
  [email protected]
• Emily Sullivan, PhD, BCBA-D
  402-559-8863
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Omaha, NE