Intervention Plan Quality Matters: Using COMPASS to Collaboratively Develop Student-Centered, Evidence-based Intervention Plans using an EBPP Approach.

The quality of interventions for children with autism has improved thanks in part to the widespread dissemination of evidence-based practices (EBPs); however, teachers still report challenges developing focused interventions targeting the core challenges of students with autism. Tested in three randomized trials, COMPASS is a consultation-based implementation strategy that prioritizes shared decision-making in the development of goals and intervention plans using an evidence-based practice in psychology approach. To successfully train COMPASS consultants, a 16-item Intervention Plan Quality Scale (IPQS) was developed and tested with a set of nine school-based COMPASS-trained consultants who provided a total of 28 consultations.

Patterns of Mental Health Service Use During the Transition to Adulthood Among Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults.

Background: The time of transition into adulthood, especially when leaving school, is a time when many autistic adolescents and young adults (AYA) may stop receiving mental health services that they have relied on, leading to worse mental health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to describe patterns of mental health service use during transition to adulthood among autistic AYAs.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study using electronic health records from years 2015 to 2019 from one large university health care system.

A Randomized Clinical Trial Targeting Daily Living Skills in Autistic Adolescents Without an Intellectual Disability Before the Transition to Adulthood.

Objectives: In the United States, more than 75,000 autistic adolescents graduate from high school each year, and many lack the skills to successfully transition to college, work, and independent living. Daily living skills (DLS) in autistic adolescents without an intellectual disability (ID) fall 6 to 8 years behind peers. Better DLS are linked to more positive adult outcomes for autistic individuals.

Predictive Analysis of Parent Activation and Autism.

We examined parent activation in families with autistic children over time. Activation is one's belief, knowledge, and persistence in obtaining and managing one's care (e.g.

Practice Makes Proficient: Evaluation of Implementation Fidelity Following COMPASS Consultation Training.

Objective: To test a training package for COMPASS, a multi-level consultation and coaching intervention for improved educational outcomes of students with ASD.

Method: Using a Hybrid Type 3 design with emphasis on implementation and a multidimensional approach to evaluating implementation outcomes, we tested a training package with community-based consultant trainees (CTs) unfamiliar with COMPASS and evaluated acceptance, appropriateness, feasibility, and fidelity from multiple sources (trainees, teachers, and parents).

Results: Results confirm that COMPASS-naïve CTs can be successfully trained.

Individualized Education Program Quality for Transition Age Students with Autism.

Background: Students with ASD have some of the worst postsecondary outcomes when compared to other students with disabilities indicating transition planning may not be working effectively. One source of support for postsecondary planning is development of the transition Individualized Education Program (IEP). However, little research is available to describe the current contents of transition IEPs for students with ASD.

Parent Activation Measure for Developmental Disabilities (PAM-DD) in Caregivers of Individuals With ASD.

Activation refers to patients' belief, knowledge, ability, and persistence to manage care. The concept is adapted to parent activation in developmental disorders. This study examined the psychometrics of the Parent Activation Measure for Developmental Disabilities (PAM-DD) and factors related to parent activation in ASD.

Socially distanced teaching: The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special education teachers.

Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special education teachers. Of 468 surveyed across the United States, 38.4% met clinical criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, a rate 12.

Goal Attainment Scaling: An Idiographic Measure Sensitive to Parent and Teacher Report of IEP Goal Outcome Assessment for Students with ASD.

Young students with ASD have instructional needs in social, communication, and learning skills that should be reflected in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). Research suggests that many of these goal areas present a challenge for special educators because of problems with measurability. The current study utilized an idiographic approach called Goal attainment scaling (GAS) for measuring IEP progress of individualized skills.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Daily Living Skills Intervention for Adolescents with Autism.

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without an intellectual disability have daily living skills (DLS) impairments. An initial feasibility pilot of Surviving and Thriving in the Real World (STRW), a group intervention that targets DLS, demonstrated significant improvements. A pilot RCT of STRW was conducted to extend these findings.

Implementation Fidelity and Common Elements of High Quality Teaching Sequences for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in COMPASS.

Background: Evidence-based educational instruction includes teaching elements common across different approaches as well as specific elements of the chosen evidence-based practice. We were interested in evaluating the use and impact of common elements of teaching. Specifically, we adopted a model of elements of high quality teaching sequences and developed and tested an instructional quality index to capture evidence-based features within teaching sequences (Grisham-Brown & Ruble, 2014).

Teacher Self-Efficacy for Teaching Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Associations with Stress, Teacher Engagement, and Student IEP Outcomes Following COMPASS Consultation.

Although teachers reporting high teaching self-efficacy demonstrate positive teaching behaviors, minimal stress, and superior classroom management techniques, surprisingly few studies have demonstrated a relationship between teacher self-efficacy and student outcomes. This study explored self-efficacy specific to teaching students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and examined relationships with stress, teacher engagement, and student individualized education program (IEP) outcomes. Special education teachers ( = 44) were recruited as part of a larger study examining a consultation intervention.

Predicting the Outcomes of Parents of Transition-Age Youth or Young Adults with ASD.

The transition outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families are less than desirable. A survey of parent stressors, resources, coping/appraisals, and adaptation to transition was completed by 226 parents. The mediating mechanisms between stressors and parent outcomes were identified.

Stakeholder perspectives on transition planning, implementation, and outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Little is known about factors impacting poor post-school outcomes for transition-age students with autism spectrum disorder. Guided by an implementation science framework that takes into account the multiple factors that influence transition outcomes, we sought to better understand the interdependent impacts of policy, organizational, provider, and individual factors that shape the transition planning process in schools, and the subsequent process through which transition plans are implemented as youth with autism spectrum disorder access services and gain employment after school. We conducted focus groups with individuals with autism spectrum disorder, parents, classroom teachers, school administrators, adult service providers, and state policymakers (10 groups,  = 40).

A Preliminary Study of Parent Activation, Parent-Teacher Alliance, Transition Planning Quality, and IEP and Postsecondary Goal Attainment of Students with ASD.

The school, student and family factors underlying poor postsecondary outcomes of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not well understood. The potential impact of school [e.g.

Special Education Teachers' Perceptions and Intentions Toward Data Collection.

Although data-based decision making is an evidence-based practice, many special educators have difficulty applying the practice within daily routines. We applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to understand the influences that promote or hinder early childhood special educators' intentions to collect data. We assessed three influences on behavioral intention to collect data derived from the TPB: (a) attitude toward collecting data, (b) social norms for collecting data, and (c) perceived behavioral control for collecting data.

Adapting COMPASS for youth with ASD to improve transition outcomes using implementation science.

Implementation science provides guidance on existing evidence based practices (EBPs) by incorporating implementation concerns from the start. Focus-group methodology was used to understand barriers and facilitators of transition planning and implementation for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who often experience disparate postsecondary outcomes compared to peers. Results were used to modify an evidence-based consultation intervention originally applied to young students with ASD, called the Collaborative Model for Promoting Competence and Success (COMPASS; Ruble, Dalrymple, & McGrew, 2012).

Randomized Control Trial of COMPASS for Improving Transition Outcomes of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The postsecondary outcomes of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are significantly worse than peers with other disabilities. One problem is the lack of empirically-supported transition planning interventions to guide services and help produce better outcomes. We applied an implementation science approach to adapt and modify an evidence-based consultation intervention originally tested with young children called the Collaborative Model for Promoting Competence and Success (COMPASS; Ruble et al.

COMPASS for Hope: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Parent Training and Support Program for Children with ASD.

Despite the growing number of studies that demonstrate the importance of empowering parents with knowledge and skills to act as intervention agents for their children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there are limited examples of parent-mediated interventions that focus on problem behaviors. Additionally, access to ASD-trained clinicians and research supported delivery options for families in rural areas is severely limited. COMPASS for Hope (C-HOPE) is an 8-week parent intervention program that was developed with the option of telehealth or face-to-face delivery.

Preliminary efficacy of a daily living skills intervention for adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.

Daily living skills deficits are strongly associated with poor adult outcomes for individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder, and yet, there are no group interventions targeting daily living skills. Seven adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and their parents participated in a feasibility pilot of a 12-week manualized group treatment targeting specific daily living skills (i.e.

An empirical study of multidimensional fidelity of COMPASS consultation.

Consultation is essential to the daily practice of school psychologists (National Association of School Psychologist, 2010). Successful consultation requires fidelity at both the consultant (implementation) and consultee (intervention) levels. We applied a multidimensional, multilevel conception of fidelity (Dunst, Trivette, & Raab, 2013) to a consultative intervention called the Collaborative Model for Promoting Competence and Success (COMPASS) for students with autism.

Too Stressed to Teach? Teaching Quality, Student Engagement, and IEP Outcomes.

Teacher stress and burnout have a detrimental effect on the stability of the teaching workforce. However, the possible consequences of teacher burnout on teaching quality and on student learning outcomes are less clear, especially in special education settings. We applied Maslach and Leiter's model (1999) to understand the direct effects of burnout on teaching in general and stress arising from interaction with a specific student on the IEP outcomes of young children with autism spectrum disorder.

Stress in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploration of Demands and Resources.

We applied the ABCX model of stress and coping to assess the association between child and family demands, school-based resources (i.e., parent-teacher alliance and COMPASS, a consultation intervention), and two measures of parent stress: perceptions of the demands of raising a child (Child domain) and reactions to those demands (Parent domain).

Typical and atypical neurodevelopment for face specialization: an FMRI study.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their relatives process faces differently from typically developed (TD) individuals. In an fMRI face-viewing task, TD and undiagnosed sibling (SIB) children (5-18 years) showed face specialization in the right amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, with left fusiform and right amygdala face specialization increasing with age in TD subjects. SIBs showed extensive antero-medial temporal lobe activation for faces that was not present in any other group, suggesting a potential compensatory mechanism.