Recruiting Autistic Teens in the 11th & 12th Grades to Participate in a Research Study on the STRW Intervention
We are excited to spread the word about the upcoming study that we are recruiting for! Our team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital received a 5-year grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a research study on the effectiveness of the Surviving and Thriving in the Real World (STRW) intervention.
The main aim of the study will be to understand if autistic teens in their last 2 years of high school make improvements in daily living skills (e.g., hygiene, cooking, cleaning, laundry, money management) after completing the STRW intervention compared to a control group (i.e., social skills intervention). We will also be following all teen participants until after high school graduation to explore whether gains in daily living skills impact adult outcomes such as working at a part-time or full-time job, attending college, living independently or semi-independently, and overall quality of life. This study will also be conducted with Dr. Laura Klinger and her team at the University of North Carolina (UNC) – Chapel Hill TEACCH Autism Clinic.
See below for additional information about the study and we will begin recruiting in July 2024 and continue through 2028.
Who can participate?
- Teens who:
- Have a diagnosis of autism (medical or educational)
- Are enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade (or have deferred high school graduation)
- Have an IQ>70
- Speak English as their primary language
- Have a parent/caregiver who is willing to participate
What will happen in the study?
This study includes 1 in-person visit to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital or UNC lasting approximately 1-2 hours. All remaining assessments and intervention sessions will occur via telehealth. There will also be 3 telehealth outcome visits and 15-weekly telehealth intervention sessions held via Zoom.
During the study, teens will complete assessments, answer questionnaires, attend virtual intervention sessions, and complete a phone diary at 3 time points.
During the study, parents/caregivers will complete interviews with research staff, answer questionnaires about their teen, and attend virtual intervention sessions.
For more information, please email Nico Bilinski at Nico.Bilinski@cchmc.org.
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