SKOLKONTAKT - Social Skills Training in a School Setting

Karolinska Institutet33 enrolled

Overview

The study investigates the behavioral effects of an adapted manual-based social skills training program (SKOLKONTAKT) for the mainstream education plan delivered by school personnel, with pupils (15-20 years) with social-communication needs; either formally diagnosed (i.e. autism spectrum disorders or ADHD) or teacher-reported subclinical difficulties. N=40 are recruited from a community school in the Stockholm area (Sweden).

So far, research has failed to consider the effectiveness of social skills training in school settings, and has instead focused on clinical or laboratory settings. This approach presents an interesting paradox given that the primary goal of social skills training is to affect change in the child's behavior in everyday life including school. Research undertaken in authentic everyday environments is not only more likely to result in real world outcomes for children and adolescents with ASD and ADHD, but greater utility in guiding models of service delivery. The objective of the current line of research is to adapt and evaluate methods originally designed to support children and adolescents with ASD and ADHD in clinical settings ("KONTAKT"), to be feasible and effective in school settings, that can be conducted by school personnel, and are are applicable to children with autistic and inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive disorders, as well as other less defined special social needs ("SKOLKONTAKT").

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Anxiety Depression

Interventions

SKOLKONTAKTBEHAVIORAL

N=21 participants are offered manualized and structured group training SKOLKONTAKT. The intervention includes 12 weeks, 3 sessions (50 minutes) per week.

Social activity groupBEHAVIORAL

N=21 participants. The active comparison group includes 12 weeks, 3 sessions (50 minutes) per week. Sessions will include socially oriented activities such as board games, sports or baking as well as a recommended, general agenda.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 15 YearsMax age: 20 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Formally diagnosed autism spectrum disorder * Formally diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder * Teacher-reported subclinical social-communication special needs Exclusion Criteria: * Severe psychiatric comorbidity that challenges administration of the group-intervention, including but not limited to severe oppositional defiant disorder * Severe psychiatric comorbidity that makes the participant to vulnerable to participate in the group-intervention, including but not limited to suicidality, severe depression

Locations (1)

CAP Research Center, Center of Neurodevelopmental disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND)

Stockholm, Sweden

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Social Skills Group Questionnaire (SSGQ)

Social skills (parent-, self- and (blinded) teacher-reported), higher score indicating improvement in skills

Time frame: Change in score from baseline after 12 weeks of social skills training and at 3 months follow-up. Total time frame 6 months.

Secondary Outcomes

Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-ll)

Autistic symptoms (parent-reported), decrease in scores indicating less clinical symptoms.

Time frame: Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline) and at 3 months follow-up (24-25 weeks after baseline). Total time frame 6 months.

KIDSCREEN-27 (short version)

Health-related Quality of Life (self-reported).

Time frame: Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline) and at 3 months follow-up (24-25 weeks after baseline).Total time frame 6 months.

Worlds Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0)

Daily functioning as affected by functional disability (parent-reported).

Time frame: Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline) and at 3 months follow-up (24-25 weeks after baseline). Total time frame 6 months.

Conners 3-F

ADHD-related symptoms (parent-reported), decrease in scores indicating less clinical symptoms.

Time frame: Change in score from baseline immediately after the intervention (12-13 weeks after baseline) and at 3 months follow-up (24-25 weeks after baseline). Total time frame 6 months.

Negative Effects Questionnaire (NEQ)

Record of adverse events during intervention (parent-reported).

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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