Group Program Helping Young Adults with Autism Move into Adulthood
Tests a group program for young adults with autism compared with standard care.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: A Trial of the Launching! to Adulthood Program
Key facts
- Where
- Houston, United StatesSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 25 years old?
Source: NCT06868537, who can take part
Where in United States
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonHouston, United StatesTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
- Trial code
- NCT06868537
- Record updated
- 5 September 2025
- Original description
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Launching intervention (Pagan et al., 2024) in improving adaptive functioning, transition readiness, and social cognition in young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), compared to a delayed treatment control group, to examine whether the Launching intervention leads to improvements in executive functioning, co-occurring mental health symptoms, and quality of life, as measured by caregiver and self-report assessments, to assess the maintenance of treatment gains 12 weeks post-treatment and to replicate the findings of the Launching pilot study in an independent sample of young adults with ASD.Read full original descriptionShow less
A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Launching! to Adulthood Program
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Launching intervention (Pagan et al., 2024) in improving adaptive functioning, transition readiness, and social cognition in young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), compared to a delayed treatment control group, to examine whether the Launching intervention leads to improvements in executive functioning, co-occurring mental health symptoms, and quality of life, as measured by caregiver and self-report assessments, to assess the maintenance of treatment gains 12 weeks post-treatment and to replicate the findings of the Launching pilot study in an independent sample of young adults with ASD.
Inclusion: confirmed case of ASD from a licensed mental health or medical professional; score of >14 on the Social Communication Questionnaire-Lifetime (SCQ-L) 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; willing and motivated to participate in the treatment; a parent willing to participate; verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) score >70 as assessed by the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test 2nd edition revised (KBIT-2-R).
Exclusion: concurrent enrollment in another clinical trial for autism spectrum disorder; history of a psychotic disorder or current psychotic symptoms; current alcohol or other substance use disorder rated severe; suicidal ideation with intent or plan; expression of unwillingness to complete study procedures.