Recent methodological advances have allowed researchers to better study the variability in intervention outcomes amongst autistic individuals. This symposium will highlight the work of three research groups, each using rigorous and innovative methods to better understand individual responses to treatment. These methods include adaptive treatment designs and randomized controlled trials. Each of the studies explores predictors of individual treatment response to broaden our discussion of who is likely to benefit from varying supports and interventions, leading to optimization of treatments. The first talk will present employment outcomes from an adaptive treatment trial that tested the timing of coach-implemented support during a soft skills employment training and internship phase. This study aimed to understand the added benefit of having a coach provide one-on-one support during a group-based intervention to better inform the timing and level of support required for employment-related outcomes. Second, we will present a responder analysis from a randomized controlled trial of a parent advocacy intervention for adolescents transitioning from school to adult services. Individual characteristics in the young adult and parent were explored in relation to the response to intervention. Third, a secondary data analysis of a previously published SMART design for minimally verbal children will be presented. The focus will be on baseline predictors of language growth and what skills are most relevant to those “fast responders” to treatment. A discussion of each presentation, including methodological implications and future directions will be led by our discussant, an expert in intervention development and design. This symposium aims to push beyond the standard methods of treatment evaluation and identify data to inform treatment planning, adaptive decision-making and maximize cost effectiveness to ultimately lead to more responsive, timely and accessible treatments for those who choose them.
Chair: Amanda Gulsrud, UCLA,
Discussant: Connie Kasari, UCLA
First Presentation: PEERS® for Careers: Optimizing Support in an Employment-Related Social Skills Program
Christine Moody, UCLA, Amanda Gulsrud, UCLA
Leonardo Dominquez Ortega, UCLA
James Yang, UCLA
Gabrielle Sotomayor, UCLA
Elizabeth Laugeson, UCLA
Second Presentation: Which families of autistic youth respond to interventions to improve service access?
Julie Lounds Taylor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Meghan M. Burke, Vanderbilt University
Leann Smith DaWalt, University of Wisconsin-Madison
James C. Slaughter, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Meng Xu, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Third Presentation: Predictors of Expressive Language Improvement Among Minimally Verbal Autistic Children
Jonathan Panganiban, UCLA,