AIR-B4: Mind the Gap

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mind the Gap

This intervention will help parents with children newly diagnosed with autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders learn how to navigate the system of acquiring services for their child. These parents will be assisted by a coach, an employee at the child's agency, that will help them through this process.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Rochester

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Kansas

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Pennsylvania

  collaborator OTHER

• Drexel University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of California, Davis

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Washington

  collaborator OTHER

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

  lead FED

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

2 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-07-29

Primary Completion

2025-12-23

Completion

2026-01-05

Countries

• United States

Study Locations