Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Background: Few autistic adults are able to integrate successfully into the world of work given their difficulties adapting to the social and stressful aspects of work environments. Interpersonal synchrony, when two or more individuals share body movements or sensations, is a powerful force that consolidates human groups while promoting the ability to self-regulate and cooperate with others. The abilities to self-regulate and cooperate are crucial for maintaining a calm and productive work environment. Objectives: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to assess the effects of group interpersonal synchrony on prosociality and work-related stress of young autistic adults in their work environment. Methods: This mixed-methods RCT will investigate two movement-based group synchronous and non-synchronous intervention conditions. The sample will be composed of young adults enrolled in an innovative Israeli program designed to integrate cognitively-abled 18- to 25-year-old autistic adults into the Israeli army work force. The movement-based intervention sessions will take place in groups of 10-14 participants, once a week for 10 weeks. Questionnaires, behavioral collaborative tasks and semi-structured interviews will be conducted. Quantitative data will be collected for each participant at three points of time: before and after the intervention period, and four months after the end of the intervention. Qualitative data will be collected after the intervention period in interviews with 15% of the participants.


Clinical Trial Description

Background: Few autistic adults are able to integrate successfully into the world of work given their difficulties adapting to the social and stressful aspects of work environments. Interpersonal synchrony, when two or more individuals share body movements or sensations, is a powerful force that consolidates human groups while promoting the ability to self-regulate and cooperate with others. The abilities to self-regulate and cooperate are crucial for maintaining a calm and productive work environment. Objectives: The objectives are to determine: 1. whether a synchronized group intervention will have an immediate and/or long-term positive effect on participants' prosociality and work-related stress. 2. whether this effect will be mediated by participants' reported social closeness and sense of belonging. 3. whether this effect will be influenced by participants' need to belong as reported before the intervention. 4. how participants perceive the intervention as affecting their prosociality and work-related stress. 5. in what ways the participants' perception of the intervention as affecting their prosociality and work-related stress will contribute to a better understanding of the intervention effect. Methods: A mixed methods approach will be applied, where quantitative and qualitative data are collected and analyzed in parallel. Participants: The sample will be composed of young adults (n=60) enrolled in an innovative Israeli program designed to integrate cognitively-abled 18- to 25-year-old autistic adults into the Israeli army workforce. Sample Size: An a-priori power analysis indicated that a total sample size of 42 participants would be needed to detect medium effects defined as f=0.2, with 80% power and alpha at .05, using a repeated measure, within-between interaction ANOVA. This sample size might not be sufficient for detecting the mediated effect needed to respond to the second study objective with 80% power and alpha of .05. Therefore, we will recruit at least N = 60 participants (30 in each intervention group) to plan for possible dropouts. Study Design and Procedures: This is a two-arm, randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: synchronous and non-synchronous movement-based interventions. The movement-based intervention sessions will take place in groups of 10-14 participants, once a week for 10 weeks. A structured physical training protocol will be used for each condition. Each protocol is composed of 10 physical training sessions, each lasting 60 minutes. The protocols differ in terms of using synchronous activity vs. non-synchronous activity. They do not differ in terms of physical exercise type or duration to control for the effect of exercise type and duration on the dependent variables. Questionnaires, behavioral collaborative tasks and semi-structured interviews will be conducted. Quantitative data will be collected for each participant at three points of time: before and after the intervention period, and four months after the end of the intervention. Qualitative data will be collected after the intervention period in interviews with 15% of the participants. ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT05846308
Study type Interventional
Source University of Haifa
Contact
Status Completed
Phase N/A
Start date August 1, 2021
Completion date June 1, 2023

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT05207956 - App for Strengthening Services In Specialized Therapeutic Support N/A
Completed NCT03286621 - Development of Eye-tracking Based Markers for Autism in Young Children
Completed NCT02608333 - Efficiency of Early Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder N/A
Recruiting NCT05935722 - Evaluation of a Home-based Parenting Support Program: Parenting Young Children N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT06259539 - A YouTube Curriculum for Children With Autism and Obesity N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT06303791 - Digital-based Psychosocial Intervention for Parents of Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders N/A
Enrolling by invitation NCT05017779 - A Hybrid Effectiveness-implementation Trial of a High School-based Executive Function Treatment for Autistic Youth N/A
Completed NCT04772898 - Effectiveness of a 6-week Hippotherapy Program in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder N/A
Recruiting NCT04987541 - The Therapeutic Effect of TBS Stimulation on Emotion Regulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder N/A
Completed NCT04308915 - Mobile-based Games for Cognitive Training in Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders N/A
Completed NCT06038435 - The Effect of Cognitive Orientation Approach on Daily Occupational Performance With Autism Spectrum Disorder N/A
Terminated NCT04049981 - Investigation of Mechanisms of Action in Superpower Glass Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT03693313 - The Effect of CrossFit Kids on Social Skills in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (CrossFit KAMP) N/A
Recruiting NCT04107064 - Achieving Steady Work Among Adults With Autism Through Specialized Employment Program N/A
Recruiting NCT03812068 - Parent-mediated Developmental Behavioral Intervention N/A
Completed NCT03206996 - Exposure Therapy for Auditory Sensitivity in Autism N/A
Completed NCT02299700 - Study to Evaluate the Janssen Autism Knowledge Engine in Children and Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder N/A
Completed NCT03422016 - Electroretinogram in Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Active, not recruiting NCT03548779 - North Carolina Genomic Evaluation by Next-generation Exome Sequencing, 2 N/A
Recruiting NCT05114538 - Improving the Part C Early Intervention Service Delivery System for Children With ASD N/A