A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the ACCESS Program: A Group Intervention to Improve Social, Adaptive Functioning, Stress Coping, and Self-Determination Outcomes in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Tasha M Oswald, Breanna Winder-Patel, Steven Ruder and 3 others
PMID 29234931WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers reported adaptive scores changed 4.1 points more after ACCESS than waitlist, but participants did not report less anxiety or better overall coping.
Attendance was high.
Key findings
01Participants did not report greater improvement in anxiety or overall coping self-efficacy than the waitlist group.
02Caregivers reported global adaptive functioning changed 4.1 points more for the treatment group than the waitlist group.
03Caregivers reported self-determination performance changed 3.7 points more for the treatment group than the waitlist group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and self-report data were missing, so the study had low statistical power. Caregivers who reported adaptive and self-determination outcomes knew which group the young adult was in and were invested in change, so their ratings may have been biased. There was no long-term follow-up, so it is unclear whether gains persisted. Participants could keep, start, stop, or change medications and individual therapy, and a change in psychiatric medication was associated with better home living scores. The study included only adults with verbal IQ 70 or higher who had completed high school, so it does not address adults with intellectual disability or less language. Analysis included 41 participants after withdrawals, dropout, a transfer to waitlist, and removal of caregiver data for one participant.
Declared interests
The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that ACCESS reduces anxiety or improves overall coping; the participant-reported anxiety and composite coping self-efficacy outcomes showed no significant group difference.