Telehealth Mindfulness-based Intervention for Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a mindfulness-based intervention can reduce depression and anxiety in autistic adolescents. The main question this trial aims to answer is: Do adolescents who complete MINDful TIME show reductions in depression and anxiety compared to an active control group? Researchers will compare adolescents who complete MINDful TIME to adolescents who are instructed to use a mindfulness meditation mobile-app to see if changes in anxiety and depression differ between the two groups.

Participants will either:

* Attend weekly 90-minute MINDful TIME group meetings through Zoom with their parent or caregiver for a total of 8-weeks and use a mindfulness meditation app daily, or
* Use a mindfulness meditation app daily for 8-weeks

All participants will:

* Attend virtual intake, baseline, and follow-up visits to complete data collection
* Complete a weekly electronic meditation diary

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

MINDful TIME

The intervention will include weekly 90-minute group meetings held online through Zoom. Adolescents and parents will meet in separate groups and will learn about mindfulness-based strategies that can be used to manage and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. They will also learn evidence-based strategies to complete daily guided mindfulness meditations using Happier, a commercially-available mobile app. Participants will be encouraged to meditate using the mobile app for 5-20 minutes each day during and after the 8-week intervention.

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness Mobile App

Participants will receive access to the Happier app and brief instruction in Habit Formation strategies at the start of their intervention period. A trained member of the research team will provide participants instructions for anchoring their mindfulness meditation to a pre-existing habit (i.e., their morning bathroom routine). Like the treatment group, participants will be encouraged to meditate using the mobile app for 5-20 minutes each day during and after the 8-week intervention period.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center

  collaborator OTHER

• Arizona State University

  collaborator OTHER

• Nicole Matthews, Ph.D.

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Nicole Matthews, Ph.D. · Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center

• Blair Braden, Ph.D. · Arizona State University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-03-24

Primary Completion

2027-11-30

Completion

2028-02-29

Countries

• United States

Study Locations