Category: Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders
Alexis Brewe, M.A.
The University of Alabama
Northport, Alabama
Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Ph.D.
Professor
University of California, San Diego
San Diego, California
Kelly Beck, Ph.D., LPC
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Grace Lee Simmons, M.A.
The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Brenna Maddox, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Carrboro, North Carolina
Alexis Brewe, M.A.
The University of Alabama
Northport, Alabama
Kassandra Martinez, M.S.
San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
La Jolla, California
It takes roughly 17 years to adopt research-supported interventions into routine clinical use, highlighting a huge obstacle to treatments that adequately address emergent mental health needs. Utilizing a participatory action research approach to understand and integrate stakeholders’ perspectives is essential for effective implementation and dissemination of interventions. Although our studies are diverse with respect to treatment target, developmental stage of sample, and geographical region, we will each address approaches to stakeholder engagement in designing and optimizing cognitive-behaviorally oriented interventions for autistic communities. This work spans initial development of novel interventions to eventual implementation in the community; as such, particular focus will be drawn towards challenges faced and lessons learned about leveraging feedback from autistic individuals, their families, and providers at these stages to maximize clinical impact and reach.
Kelly Beck will present data on optimization of an existing mindfulness-based emotion dysregulation-focused intervention for autistic individuals with a range of functional and developmental needs and a small pilot to test feasibility and acceptability. This study will point to the utilization of stakeholder perspectives to develop programming that improves reach and efficacy with a wider range of autistic individuals.
Grace Lee Simmons will discuss development of a novel group-based telehealth intervention to promote social motivation in school-aged autistic children and initial feasibility data from a pilot trial. Findings point to the importance of leveraging telehealth to increase the accessibility of interventions, particularly with traditionally underserved communities (e.g., rural families).
Brenna Maddox will provide an overview of two evidence-based suicide prevention strategies adapted for autistic individuals using a participatory action research approach. Preliminary results from a randomized, controlled trial to compare effectiveness of the crisis management strategies will demonstrate how meaningful engagement of autistic individuals throughout the research process is critical for developing impactful programming for this population.
Alexis Brewe will discuss optimization of an research supported program that addresses psychosocial transition-related needs of autistic adolescents and adults for community implementation. Theoretically-grounded qualitative interview data on program adaptations and barriers and facilitators to implementation highlight the importance of leveraging stakeholder feedback from consumers and service providers to overcome obstacles related to accessibility and impact.
Kassandra Martinez will present psychometric data on the Provider Motivation Inventory (PMI), collected from a large-scale implementation-effectiveness trial of a cognitive-behavioral intervention to address problem behaviors with autistic youth in community mental health clinics. Findings emphasize the importance of using self-report tools like the PMI to better understand provider engagement during training and program delivery, which may impact implementation efforts in the community.
Presenter: Grace Lee Simmons, M.A. – The University of Alabama
Co-author: Susan White, Ph.d., ABPP – University of Alabama
Presenter: Brenna Maddox, Ph.D. – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Co-author: Stephen Shore, EdD – Adelphi University
Co-author: Teal Benevides, PhD, MS, OTR/L – Augusta University
Co-author: Shari Jager-Hyman, Ph.D. – University of Pennsylvania
Presenter: Alexis Brewe, M.A. – The University of Alabama
Co-author: Susan White, Ph.d., ABPP – University of Alabama
Presenter: Kassandra Martinez, M.S. – San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology
Co-author: Barbara Caplan, Ph.D. – UC San Diego, Child and Adolescent Services Research Center
Co-author: Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Ph.D. – University of California, San Diego