The purpose of the study is to see if an internet job interview training program can help people that have autism improve interview skills and access to jobs. Participants will be randomized to use Virtual Interview Training (VIT) or continue services as usual (active control group).
Participants will have assessments that will be done over the computer or in-person at school or program site. Assessments will be about participants background, employment history, mood and feelings, autistic traits, memory, mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, and other things. Some assessments will be audio and/or video recorded. Please note that there will be teachers and staff consented (approximately n=32) to deliver the intervention, however, will not count for the clinical trial. Therefore, the information will not be added to the anticipated enrollment numbers in study design.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
200
Teachers will administer the intervention (Virtual Interview Training) with the student participants. University of Michigan research staff will train all teachers (including sites in California) and will provide support as necessary throughout the intervention delivery process. Surveys will be captures several times throughout delivery as delivery is expected to be anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks long.
Participants will receive services-as-usual at participants school or program for approximately 6 weeks. Those that are in the active control group will receive access to the e-learning content of the Rita/Travis intervention (not the practice interviews) and will be able to review the e-learning content with teacher's supervision. In addition, this group will review a series of video conversations with autistic adults about navigating the pathway to a career. Surveys will be collected at different time points after randomization.
Classical Academy
Oceanside, California, United States
Outside the Lens
San Diego, California, United States
Transition Resources for Adult Community Education
Competitive Employment based on self-report employment surveys
Self-report employment surveys completed. Employment will be tracked as 0 (no job) and 1 (job). Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Time frame: Approximately 9 months after randomization
Change in Job Interview Skills from Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS)
Interviewing skills will be measured using a role-play measure in which subjects act out two job interview scenarios with trained actors. Interviews will be video recorded and scored. There is one pre-test score and one post-test score. There are 15 questions on a scale from 1 to 7 (scores range from 15 to 105), with higher scores indicating a better outcome (better interview skills).
Time frame: Pre-Test (baseline), post-test (approximately 6 weeks)
Time to Employment
The number of days between randomization and obtaining employment using a questionnaire.
Time frame: Approximately 9 months after randomization
Change in Interview Anxiety using a modified version of the brief Personal Report of Public Speaking Apprehension (PRSPA)
This is a 13 item self-report using a modified version of the brief Personal Report of Public Speaking Apprehension (PRSPA). After reviewing the brief PRSPA, the study team selected and reframed 13 items using a three-point Likert-type scale (0 = "not at all," 1 = "sometimes," and 2 = "often"). Higher scores indicated higher anxiety, and scores could range from 0 to 26.
Time frame: Pre-Test (baseline), post-test (approximately 6 weeks)
Change in Interview Motivation
This is a 10 item self-report using a five-point Likert scale (1 = Not at all true, 5 = Very true). Higher scores indicate higher job interview motivation, a better outcome, and scores range from 10 to 50)
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San Diego, California, United States
The Institute for Effective Education
San Diego, California, United States
The San Diego State University
San Diego, California, United States
Mount Miguel High School
Spring Valley, California, United States
Urban Autism Solutions
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Ann Arbor Academy
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Milford High School
Highland, Michigan, United States
...and 5 more locations
Time frame: Pre-Test (baseline), post-test (approximately 6 weeks)
Change in Work Readiness using the Work Readiness Scale (WRS)
Change in work readiness using the Work Readiness Scale (WRS) which is a 13 item self-report using a five-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree) with higher scores indicating a higher readiness to work, a positive outcome. Scores range from 13 to 65.
Time frame: Pre-Test (baseline), post-test (approximately 6 weeks)
Change in Work Motivation using the Work Motivation Scale (WMS)
Change in work motivation using the Work Motivation Scale (WMS) which is a 12-item self-report using a four-point Likert scale (1 = Disagree to 4 = Strongly Agree) with higher scores indicating a higher motivation to work, a better outcome. Scores range from 13 to 52.
Time frame: Pre-Test (baseline), post-test (approximately 6 weeks)
Change in Social Cognition using the Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Task Adult (BLERT-A)
Change in social cognition using the Bell-Lysaker Emotion Recognition Task Adult (BLERT-A). There are 21 videos shown to participants and are scored as either correct (1) or incorrect (0). A total score is provided and can range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating a higher social cognition ability, a better outcome.
Time frame: Pre-Test (baseline), post-test (approximately 6 weeks)
Change in Interview Knowledge
Change in interview knowledge by using a 10-item survey designed to assess basic knowledge about job interviews. There are multiple choice questions, and answers are marked as either correct (1) or incorrect (0). Higher scores indicate better interview knowledge, a positive outcome. Scores range from 0 to 10.
Time frame: Pre-Test (baseline), post-test (approximately 6 weeks)