Improving Hospitalizations for Children With ASD

Vanderbilt University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Brief Analogue Functional Analysis; Other: No Brief AFA

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02339935

141265

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to implement and test a specific brief Applied Behavior Analysis model for assessing and responding to severe challenging behavior during acute medical and behavioral hospitalization for children with ASD. The investigators will evaluate the impact of this program by conducting a randomized trial across both medical and psychiatric hospital settings.

Enrollment: 36 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 18 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• documented diagnosis of an ASD based on clinical DSM-5 diagnostic criteria assessed by attending psychiatrist
• the presence of a significant challenging behaviors (e.g., aggression, property destruction, self-injury, elopement)
• admission to the VPH or medical floors
• individual and caregiver agreement to participate and ability to provide informed consent (and assent).

Exclusion criteria

• None

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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36 participants in 2 patient groups

ABA Treatment Group

Experimental group

Description:

20 Children - 10 hospitalized at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and 10 hospitalized at Vanderbilt Psychiatric hospital - will receive Brief Analogue Functional Analysis (Brief AFA) targeted to their most problematic behavior(s) while hospitalized

Treatment:

Behavioral: Brief Analogue Functional Analysis

Control Group

Other group

Description:

20 Children - 10 hospitalized at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and 10 hospitalized at Vanderbilt Psychiatric hospital - will receive all typical standard of care procedures while hospitalized, but will not receive Brief AFA

Treatment:

Other: No Brief AFA