Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a parent-mediated sexual education curriculum for youth with autism spectrum disorders.

The study was smaller than planned, with 104 recruited and 84 completing, while the power analysis targeted 159 parent-youth dyads. Within STAR, facilitator-led and self-guided assignment was not fully randomized, because some families switched from facilitator-led to self-guided when they could not attend. Self-guided completion was 69%, below the 80% benchmark, so independent delivery may not be feasible. The sample included 68 males among 84 youth, and the authors said they could not test whether outcomes varied by gender. The sample was restricted in cultural and socioeconomic diversity, and African American families tended to drop out more, so results may not apply broadly. Outcome measures were mostly study-specific, lacking test-retest reliability, validity, and normative data, so it is hard to relate knowledge change to real-world functioning. Parents could choose which curriculum content to present, and the study did not track content exposure, so it is unclear whether knowledge change reflects curriculum content or lack of exposure. Groups differed in youth age at baseline, and the facilitator-led group had higher baseline sexuality knowledge than the control group. The study measured outcomes only at 12 weeks, not longer follow-up.

STAR was developed with National Institute of Mental Health Small Business Innovation Research funding. The attention control curricula were previously developed through National Institute of Health and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism funding. The supplied text does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration.

Do not read the knowledge gains as evidence that self-guided parent delivery works for all families. The self-guided group completed at 69%, below the 80% benchmark, and the study did not track why families dropped out.