Study: 86123

Department-funded evaluation

Review Details

Reviewed: December 2019

At least one finding shows promising evidence of effectiveness

At least one statistically significant positive finding

Meets WWC standards without reservations

For:

Department-funded evaluation (findings for Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP))

Using:

Research Design:

Randomized Controlled Trial

Rating:

Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.

This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Findings

Problem behavior outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Caregiver-teacher report form (CTRF) total score	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 121 students	62.71	63.99	No	--
Show Supplemental Findings
Caregiver-teacher report form (CTRF), Internalizing scale	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 121 students	61.14	63.48	No	--
Caregiver-teacher report form (CTRF), Externalizing scale	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 121 students	60.99	61.85	No	--

School engagement outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Engagement (author created measure) - Overall engagement	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 144 students	2.66	2.54	Yes	8
Show Supplemental Findings
Engagement (author created measure) - Some engagement	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 144 students	0.59	0.53	Yes	11
Engagement (author created measure) - Unengaged	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 144 students	0.32	0.36	Yes	9
Engagement (author created measure) - Coordinated	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 144 students	0.11	0.08	No	--
Engagement (author created measure) - Person	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 144 students	0.05	0.04	No	--
Engagement (author created measure) - Object	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 156 students	0.38	0.35	No	--
Engagement (author created measure) - Onlooking	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 144 students	0.09	0.10	No	--
Engagement (author created measure) - Supported	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 144 students	0.05	0.06	No	--

Social-emotional competence outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Structured Play Assessment (author modified) - Total	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 143 students	46.11	44.87	No	--
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (study modified) - Total score	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 143 students	58.46	60.96	No	--
Show Supplemental Findings
Structured Play Assessment (author modified) - Symbolic	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 143 students	16.95	15.88	No	--
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (study modified) - Social interaction	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 143 students	9.14	8.81	No	--
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (study modified) - Requesting	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 143 students	25.49	24.88	No	--
Structured Play Assessment (author modified) - Functional	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample: mid-year interim outcome; 142 students	20.88	20.68	No	--
Structured Play Assessment (author modified) - Functional	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 143 students	20.21	20.01	No	--
Structured Play Assessment (author modified) - Total	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample: mid-year interim outcome; 142 students	45.78	46.05	No	--
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (study modified) - Social interaction	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample: mid-year interim outcome; 143 students	6.58	6.93	No	--
Structured Play Assessment (author modified) - Symbolic	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 142 students	15.89	16.36	No	--
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (study modified) - Requesting	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample: mid-year interim outcome; 143 students	21.01	22.59	No	--
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (study modified) - Joint attention	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample; 143 students	23.83	27.27	No	--
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (study modified) - Total score	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample: mid-year interim outcome; 143 students	46.07	57.26	No	--
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (study modified) - Joint attention	Advancing Social-Communication and Play (ASAP) vs. Business as usual	0 Days	Full sample: mid-year interim outcome; 143 students	18.47	27.77	No	--

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Sample Characteristics

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.

Female: 15%
Male: 85%
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Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington

Race
Black		26%
Other or unknown		19%
White		56%

Ethnicity
Hispanic		24%
Not Hispanic or Latino		76%

Study Details

Setting

The study was conducted in public schools in Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. (pdf p.4)

Study sample

In the study sample, 24% of children were Hispanic, 26% were Black, and 56% were White. Females made up 15% of the overall sample. (Table 2)

Intervention Group

Advancing social-communication and play (ASAP) is a classroom-based intervention that aims to improve social-communication and play skills of children with autism spectrum disorder. The recommended dosage is 40 minutes of one-to-one interaction with each child per week and at least three group activities per school day. Preschool teams that included the classroom's lead teacher, at least one paraprofessional, and at least one speech-language pathologist (or occupational therapist) implemented the intervention. (p. 4)

Comparison Group

Preschool staff in comparison classrooms continued with their standard practice. They were offered the program materials and training at the end of the school year. (p. 8)

Support for implementation

Intervention staff received two trainings over the course of the school year, totaling in approximately 6 to 9 hours. Trained ASAP coaches conducted both trainings. (pp. 5-6)

Efficacy of the ASAP Intervention for Preschoolers with ASD: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial