Efficacy of PEGASUS Clinical Trial
Official title:
Evaluating Psychoeducation for People With Autism Spectrum Disorder
When a clinician gives an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis they hope this will be
helpful to the person receiving it and their family. In reality children with an ASD
describe few benefits to receiving this diagnosis - they often report feeling confused and
stigmatised by it. Parents can also struggle to understand their child's diagnosis and
report needing greater support from professionals in this respect (Midence & O'neill, 1999;
Osborne & Reed, 2008).
Little is known about how to help children and families integrate their ASC 'label' in a
positive way. Whilst there is anecdotal evidence that psychoeducation after diagnosis can
help, there has been no formal evaluation of this approach and no evidence-based programmes
of this type are available. In the current study the investigators aim to test empirically a
psychoeducational programme for children with an ASD ('PEGASUS'), using a randomised
controlled design. The investigators aim to evaluate whether this psychological and
educational intervention impacts positively upon understanding of ASC, self-esteem,
functional adaption, well-being and family functioning.
n/a
Allocation: Randomized, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment