Project Activities
The project will iteratively develop and test TASK-S across 4 years. In the first year, the research team will solicit feedback from students, parents, and school personnel (e.g., teachers, administrators) through focus groups and interviews, and use their feedback to revise the existing EF intervention materials and procedures. The revised intervention materials will be used in Year 2 to conduct three trials to further refine the intervention and procedures as well as to examine issues related to treatment fidelity. In the third year, the research team will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial to determine the promise of TASK-S for improving the EF and academic outcomes of high-functioning middle school students with ASD. In the fourth year, follow-up data will be collected approximately 6 months post-intervention.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The research will take place in middle schools in southern Ohio and northern Kentucky.
Sample
Across the 4 project years, approximately 90 middle school students (Grades 6-8) with high-functioning ASD and their parents will participate. Students will be screened to confirm at least average IQ and presence of problems in EF skills. School mental health professionals, school administrators, and teachers (approximately six to eight of each type of school personnel) will participate in the development activities and feasibility studies in Years 1 and 2. In addition, a panel of six professionals, with expertise in the academic needs of students with ASD and developing and implementing school-based interventions, will also participate in the development activities and feasibility studies.
Intervention
The current version ofTASK is based on two existing interventions designed for students with ADHD: Academic Success for Young Adolescents Group and Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS). Students and their parents participate jointly for 7 weekly, 90-minute sessions, all designed to target EF skills important for academic achievement. The TASK-Sintervention includes the following activities: 1) teaching students and parents about EF skills and why they are important, 2) using behavior contracts related to the use of learned skills, 3) communication/problem solving, 4) binder organization and use of a planner, 5) flash cards, 6) summarizing skills (e.g., acronyms), and 7) planning for generalization. TASK-S will incorporate strategies known to be helpful for students with ASD, including visual schedules and supports (e.g., homework work space organized using labels and lists that the parent and adolescent develop together; use of video clips and live modeling of key study skills). TASK-S will also incorporate content addressing parent-teacher communication to ensure consistency between the home and school setting.
Research design and methods
During the first 2 years of the project, the investigators will engage in iterative development and refinement of the intervention. The research team will begin by soliciting feedback from experts on the existing TASK materials and then conduct a series of focus groups with school stakeholders (teachers, mental health professionals, and school administrators), parents of students with ASD, and students with ASD. Based on the information collected, revisions will be made to the intervention materials and procedures. This will be followed by a series of three trials conducted with students with ASD and their parents to allow the research team to make modifications to the intervention in an ongoing, successive fashion, incorporating feedback iteratively from the family and school personnel implementing TASK. In Year 3, the investigators will conduct a small randomized controlled trial in which schools are randomly assigned to TASK-S or a control condition. Outcome data will be collected pre- and post-test, and in Year 4, at approximately 6-month post-intervention. In addition, the research team will provide the students in the control condition with the TASK-S intervention in the final year.
Control condition
For the pilot study, schools randomly assigned to the waitlist will provide business-as-usual services for students with ASD.
Key measures
Students will be screened for eligibility through a review of records (e.g., ASD diagnosis and IQ) and administration of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning, Second Edition (BRIEF-2) to confirm the existence of EF problems. Student academic behaviors will be measured with the Homework Problems Checklist, the Classroom Performance Survey, the Academic Performance Rating Scale, and the Academic Competence subtest of the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS). Student organization and time management skills will be assessed with the Children's Organizational Skills Scale (COSS), the Organization Checklist, and the Time Management Checklist. Student problem solving and critical thinking will be assessed with the Test of Problem Solving 2-Adolescent (TOPS2-A). The Greenberger's Psychosocial Maturity Inventory will be use to collect student self-report of self-reliance, identity, and work orientation. Student achievement will be assessed with the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement III and educational records (e.g., grades, state test scores). To explore changes in parenting practices, parent-child relationships, and parenting skill and attitude, the Helicopter Parenting Scale and the Parent-Child Relationship Inventory will be used. The Services Use in Children and Adolescents — Parent Interview will be used to identify any additional services received by students.Intervention acceptability will be collected with the Parent & Student Acceptability of Intervention Questionnaire.
Data analytic strategy
A content analysis approach will be used to analyze data from focus groups, and qualitative and quantitative data from the trials will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The pilot study will analyze Cohen's d effect sizes, comparing the scores of the TASK-S group with those of the control group at the post assessment, and within group pre-post effect sizes, to evaluate the promise of the program in improving students' academic functioning and academic gains. The research team will also explore correlations between TASK-S participation and any changes in parenting practices and parent-child relationships.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project will include the fully developed TASK-S intervention for middle school students with ASD, as well as peer-reviewed publications and presentations.
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigator: Duncan, Amie
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
