A Pilot Study to Characterize the Household Impact of Locating Devices for Children With ASD Who Wander (CHILD)

A Pilot Study to Characterize the Household Impact of Locating Devices for Children With ASD Who Wander

A Prospective Pilot Study to Characterize the Impact on Families of Electronic Tracking Device Use by Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders Who Wander

This pilot study will obtain preliminary data about the impact of wearable electronic tracking devices (ETDs) as an intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who wander. The feasibility of all study procedures and the acceptability of the intervention will be evaluated.

Wandering, or elopement, is a life-threatening behavior that has been reported to occur in a third of all children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Wearable electronic tracking devices (ETDs) that are able to pinpoint a child's location have emerged as an appealing intervention for families concerned about wandering risk. However, the impact of ETD use on the families of children who wander has never been studied prospectively. In this pilot study, parents will be provided with a commercially-available ETD to use for their child with ASD for 6 weeks. Preliminary data will be obtained to evaluate the impact of ETD use on the strain experienced by families due to their child's wandering behavior. The feasibility of all study procedures will be assessed in preparation for a larger subsequent trial.

Participants will be given a wearable electronic tracking device (ETD) to use for their child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for 6 weeks.

This commercially-available electronic tracking device uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to display the wearer's location on a mobile phone, tablet, or computer. The device may be securely attached to clothing and is designed to be worn by children with developmental disabilities. Parents may use the associated application to view the child's location when the device is turned on and active.

Questionnaire completion rates will be calculated to assess the feasibility of the proposed evaluation schedule.

The mean daily duration of participant use of the device will be assessed to evaluate the acceptability of the intervention.

The Caregiver Strain Questionnaire is a validated, 21-item instrument that was developed to measure the strain experienced by parents of children with emotional and behavioral disorders. A modified version of this questionnaire will be administered in order to evaluate parental strain due to wandering-related concerns. The questionnaire measures three dimensions of caregiver strain, including objective strain (11 items), internalized subjective strain (6 items), and externalized subjective strain (4 items). Each subscale score is calculated by averaging responses (on a five-point scale) to all items in the subscale. A global score is obtained by summing all three subscale scores, with higher scores indicating a greater degree of caregiver strain.

The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item (GAD-7) scale is a validated measure of the severity of anxiety symptoms. Possible scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe levels of anxiety.

The Brief Family Distress Scale (BFDS) is a single-item measure for evaluating the experience of distress or crisis in families of children with developmental disabilities. Possible scores range from 1 to 10, with higher scores representing a greater degree of family distress.

A weekly study-specific questionnaire will evaluate the perceived impact of the child's wandering behavior on parent, child, and family activities.

Study-specific questionnaires will assess the perceived impact of the intervention on the child's wandering behavior and on the well-being of the parent and child.

Inclusion Criteria: At least 18 years of age Parent of a child between the ages of 4 and 17 who currently has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), was diagnosed with ASD by a professional, and has wandered at least once in the preceding 3 months Currently lives in the United States Currently lives with child with ASD Has been living with child with ASD for at least 6 months Has reliable internet access to allow for completion of online questionnaires Exclusion Criteria: Current or past use of any electronic tracking device to address wandering behavior in the child with ASD

Kiely B, Migdal TR, Vettam S, Adesman A. Prevalence and Correlates of Elopement in a Nationally Representative Sample of Children with Developmental Disabilities in the United States. PLoS One. 2016 Feb 4;11(2):e0148337. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148337. eCollection 2016.