Promoting Inclusive Educational Environments for Children With Autism and Other Social-communication Challenges: Preschool Class and Primary School

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Primary Purpose

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Not Applicable

Locations

Sweden

Study Type

Interventional

Intervention

APERS-based model

About this trial

This is an interventional other trial for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

6 Years - 9 Years (Child)All SexesAccepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

autism diagnosis
socio-communicative challenges identified by parents and/or school staff
attending a primary school classroom (i.e., from pre-school class to third grade)

Sites / Locations

Stockholm MunicipalityRecruiting

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm 2

Arm Type

Experimental

No Intervention

Arm Label

Experimental group

Comparison group

Arm Description

In the experimental group, in-service training on autism, program quality, and APERS will be provided to participating staff. Furthermore, APERS-rating to assess the program quality for students with ASD/SCC will be conducted. Pertaining feedback on program areas of strength and improvement will be provided by the APERS-raters to the classroom teachers. Subsequently, assigned coaches (already employed at the school as special educators or equivalent) will based on the APERS-ratings develop an action plan to improve program quality for students with ASD and SCC, in collaboration with classroom teachers. Subsequently, the coach will provide weekly or bi-weekly coaching to promote program quality during the course of two school semesters (approximately 8-9 months).

The classrooms in the comparison group will also be rated with the APERS, and feedback will provided to classroom teachers. However, no further support will be provided in transforming APERS-ratings with pertaining feedback into best practice.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Change from baseline in autism program quality assessed with the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale - Preschool and primary school (APERS-Fk/L-SE)

The APERS-Fk/L-SE is a rating scale designed to examine primary school program quality for autistic students in Sweden. It contains 10 domains including areas such as students' personal independence and competence, and challenging behaviors. The scale consists of 59 items rated on a five-point Likert-scale (1= low quality - 5 = high quality) resulting in individual item scores, subdomain scores, domain scores and a total score.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Change from baseline in how children feel about their school assessed with How I Feel About My School (HIFAMS)

The HIFAMS is a questionnaire designed to assess the happiness and subjective well-being of children in school. It is to to be completed by all children in all participating classrooms in the study. The questionnaire is composed of seven questions which asks children how they feel about school life, which are scored using a three-point Likert "face" scale (sad face, neutral face, happy face).

Change from baseline in parents ratings on their children's body functions, activities and participation and contextual factors assessed with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for Autism

the ICF Core Sets for Autism is a questionnaire for parents to complete about their children. It contains a number of statements about their children's body functions, activities and participation, and contextual factors that may affect their children's functioning rater on a Likert-scale from either 0 to 10, or -5 to 5 (contextual factors), where higher ratings indicate higher levels of functioning and participation.

Change from baseline in children's self-regulation and academic behavior assessed with children's self-regulation and academic behavior questionnaire

The Children's self-regulation and academic behavior questionnaire is designed for teachers to rate children's self-regulation and academic behavior skills in various situations in the classroom, rated on a five-point Likert scale from 0 to 4, across 11 items, where higher ratings indicate more skills and better self-regulation.

Change from baseline in teachers' global impression of the child in the classroom

Teachers' global impression of the child in school during the latest week. Rated on a four-point Likert scale from 0 to 3, across four items, where higher ratings indicate more well-being, participation, engagement and adaptive behaviors.

Change in teachers' stress assessed with the Teachers' Stress Scale

The Teachers' Stress Scale is a questionnaire designed for teachers to complete about their perceived work-related stress. It consists of five items, and is rated on a six-point Likert scale from 0 to 6 where higher ratings are associated with more stress.

Change in teachers' perceived self-efficacy for supporting students with autism using the Autism Self-Efficacy Scale for Teachers

The Autism Self-Efficacy Scale for Teachers is a questionnaire for teachers to complete about their perceived self-efficacy for supporting students with ASD and socio-communicative challenges in their classroom. It consists of 28 items, and is rated on a six-point Likert scale from 0 to 5. Higher ratings indicate more self-efficacy.

Change in teachers' work satisfaction assessed with the Teacher Work Satisfaction Questionnaire

The Teacher Work Satisfaction Questionnaire is designed for teachers to complete about their work satisfaction. It contains three items that are rated on a six-point Likert scale from 0 to 5, where higher ratings indicate more work satisfaction,

Full Information

NCT ID

NCT05509309

First Posted

May 31, 2022

Last Updated

May 31, 2023

Sponsor

Stockholm University

Collaborators

Karolinska Institutet

1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number

NCT05509309

Brief Title

Promoting Inclusive Educational Environments for Children With Autism and Other Social-communication Challenges: Preschool Class and Primary School

Official Title

Promoting Inclusive Educational Environments for Children With Autism and Other Social-communication Challenges: Preschool Class and Primary School

Study Type

Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date

May 2023

Overall Recruitment Status

Recruiting

Study Start Date

August 15, 2022 (Actual)

Primary Completion Date

July 1, 2024 (Anticipated)

Study Completion Date

July 1, 2024 (Anticipated)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title

Principal Investigator

Name of the Sponsor

Stockholm University

Collaborators

Karolinska Institutet

4. Oversight

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product

No

Data Monitoring Committee

No

5. Study Description

Brief Summary

This study evaluates the effect of using the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) as the foundation for providing feedback, in-service training and coaching to teachers, to improve program quality for autistic (ASD) students and students with related social-communication challenges (SCC) in Swedish primary school classrooms. In the current study half of the participating classrooms will receive the APERS-based model for program quality improvement, while the other half will receive services as usual. It is hypothesized that the APERS-based model will improve primary school program quality for children with ASD and SCC, as well as improve functioning for students with ASD/SCC and self-perceived self-efficacy among participating teachers, compared to the study's comparison group.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study

Autism Spectrum Disorder, Social Communication Challenges

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose

Other

Study Phase

Not Applicable

Interventional Study Model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

None (Open Label)

Allocation

Non-Randomized

Enrollment

48 (Anticipated)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title

Experimental group

Arm Type

Experimental

Arm Description

In the experimental group, in-service training on autism, program quality, and APERS will be provided to participating staff. Furthermore, APERS-rating to assess the program quality for students with ASD/SCC will be conducted. Pertaining feedback on program areas of strength and improvement will be provided by the APERS-raters to the classroom teachers. Subsequently, assigned coaches (already employed at the school as special educators or equivalent) will based on the APERS-ratings develop an action plan to improve program quality for students with ASD and SCC, in collaboration with classroom teachers. Subsequently, the coach will provide weekly or bi-weekly coaching to promote program quality during the course of two school semesters (approximately 8-9 months).

Arm Title

Comparison group

Arm Type

No Intervention

Arm Description

The classrooms in the comparison group will also be rated with the APERS, and feedback will provided to classroom teachers. However, no further support will be provided in transforming APERS-ratings with pertaining feedback into best practice.

Intervention Type

Behavioral

Intervention Name(s)

APERS-based model

Intervention Description

APERS-assessments followed by in-service training, APERS-feedback and on-site coaching to improve primary school classroom quality for students with ASD/SCC

Primary Outcome Measure Information:

Title

Change from baseline in autism program quality assessed with the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale - Preschool and primary school (APERS-Fk/L-SE)

Description

The APERS-Fk/L-SE is a rating scale designed to examine primary school program quality for autistic students in Sweden. It contains 10 domains including areas such as students' personal independence and competence, and challenging behaviors. The scale consists of 59 items rated on a five-point Likert-scale (1= low quality - 5 = high quality) resulting in individual item scores, subdomain scores, domain scores and a total score.

Time Frame

Baseline and about 9 months from baseline

Secondary Outcome Measure Information:

Title

Change from baseline in how children feel about their school assessed with How I Feel About My School (HIFAMS)

Description

The HIFAMS is a questionnaire designed to assess the happiness and subjective well-being of children in school. It is to to be completed by all children in all participating classrooms in the study. The questionnaire is composed of seven questions which asks children how they feel about school life, which are scored using a three-point Likert "face" scale (sad face, neutral face, happy face).

Time Frame