Developing a Culturally Adapted Intervention for Latino Youth Transitioning to Adulthood

The University of Texas System (UT)

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Treatments

Behavioral: Launching! to Adulthood (¡Iniciando! la Adultez) program

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT06107972

HSC-MS-23-0188

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility (e.g., satisfaction, completion rate, barriers to recruitment, treatment fidelity) of the culturally refined Launching! to Adulthood (¡Iniciando! la Adultez) program, to test for a preliminary signal of effect between baseline and post-treatment for the Launching! to Adulthood (¡Iniciando! la Adultez) program and to identify preliminary neural mechanisms of action, including biomarkers of brain structure and connectivity, in terms of treatment response for 15 Latino young adults participating in the ¡Iniciando! therapy program.

Full description

The Launching! to Adulthood (¡Iniciando! la Adultez) program uses a culturally sensitive therapy program that was translated into Spanish to help Latino young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are transitioning to adulthood (18-25 years old) and their parents. The program aims to make the transition to adulthood easier for young adults and their families, and it includes specific cultural values of Latino young adults and their family members. The ¡Iniciando! la adultez program helps autistic young adults manage mental health needs like depression and anxiety and also addresses several areas impacting transition, including mental health barriers, executive functioning, and motivation. The ¡Iniciando! program also helps parents manage their own needs and addresses several areas, including psychoeducation and mental health.

Enrollment

56 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 25 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

confirmed case of ASD
a score of >14 on the Social Communication Questionnaire-Lifetime (SCQ-L110) completed with the mother or father
meet DSM-5 criteria for ASD based on a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 ASD symptom checklist
previous diagnosis of ASD from a licensed mental health or medical professional
speak English
have a parent willing to participate
score >85 on verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) on the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT-2)

Exclusion criteria

history of a psychotic disorder or current psychotic symptoms
suicidal ideation with intent or plan
current alcohol or other substance use disorder rated severe
concurrent enrollment in another clinical trial for autism spectrum disorder
expression of unwillingness to complete study procedures
For fMRI, unable to undergo fMRI scanning due to metallic devices or objects (cardiac pacemaker or neurostimulator, some artificial joints, metal pins, surgical clips, or other implanted metal parts) or claustrophobic to the scanner.