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Purpose

Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by differences in social communication/interaction and the presence of restricted/repetitive behaviors, with significant heterogeneity in terms of autistic features, language ability, and cognitive characteristics. About 2-3% of individuals in the United States are autistic, and most autistic individuals have co-occurring mental health conditions. Autistic people are 3-4 times more likely to experience depression than non-autistic people. Of the emerging depression treatment research with autistic people, none to date has focused on developing and testing a depression treatment for autistic youth with below average cognitive abilities - a group which comprises over 50% of the autistic community. Therefore, this study seeks to evaluate the feasibility (Aim 1), acceptability (Aim 2), and preliminary treatment effects (Aim 3) of an extension of Behavioral Activation for Depression in Autistic Adolescents (BA-A), adapted to meet the needs of cognitively lower functioning autistic youth.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 12 Years and 17 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • 12-17 years old - Autism diagnosis - Symptoms of depression (more specifically, Children's Depression Inventory, Second Edition parent-report and/or self-report T-score ⩾ 65) - IQ 60-84 - Stable on medications for mood, anxiety, and/or behavior for 3 months - Participation of same parent(s) in all therapy sessions and assessment visits

Exclusion Criteria

  • Participation in another psychotherapy during the study period - Imminent risk of harm to self and/or others - Bipolar disorder, a personality disorder, and/or schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
BA-A 		BA-A is an individually delivered manualized 12-session treatment that utilizes established behavioral strategies and incorporates common mental health treatment adaptations for autistic young people.
  • Behavioral: BA-A
    BA-A is an individually delivered manualized 12-session treatment that utilizes established behavioral strategies and incorporates common mental health treatment adaptations for autistic young people.

Recruiting Locations

Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York 11794
Contact:
Michelle Menezes, PhD
631-638-3819
autismandneurodiversitylab@gmail.com

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Stony Brook University

Study Contact

Michelle Menezes, PhD
631-638-3819
autismandneurodiversitylab@gmail.com

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.