Coaching school staff to improve special education programs for autistic children

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for schools in the Stockholm Region with special education units, and for students in those units who have autism or similar social communication challenges.

Age

5 to 13 years

Sex

All sexes can join.

Disease stage

Students need a formal community diagnosis of autism (ICD-10, DSM-IV or DSM-5), or challenges with social communication and interaction as judged by school staff and guardians.

Main reasons for not taking part

• School is not in the Stockholm Region
• School has no special education unit for preschool class, primary school or middle school
• Student is not enrolled in a special education unit

The registry criteria, word for word

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

• Are you between 5 and 13 years old?YesNo

What the trial wants to find out

This study assesses the effect of using the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) as a tool for providing feedback, in-service training, and coaching to school staff in order to improve program quality in special education units (SEUs) for children with autism or related sociocommunicative challenges (SCCs). APERS is used in its culturally validated Swedish version (APERS-Primary-SE). Using a quasi-randomized parallel-group design, SEUs will be allocated to either an experimental (APERS+) or control (TAU) condition. In the APERS+ condition, school staff receive continuous and systematic feedback provided by trained coaches based on the initial APERS assessment. In the TAU condition, schools will also receive feedback based on the initial APERS assessment, but no continuous coaching.

The 2 groups in the trial

• Experimental groupTreatment being tested

  In the experimental group, labeled APERS+, APERS assessments will be carried out to rate the overall program quality for students with autism/SCCs within the SEUs. These ratings will be made by researchers (PI and doctoral candidate) and a team of specially trained coaches consisting of 5-6 special educators working for the educational administration unit (Utbildningsförvaltningen) of Stockholm Municipality. The SEUs will be provided written and oral feedback based on the ratings In the APERS+ contingency, the coaches then develop an action plan in order to improve program quality of the SEUs. Staff in the participating SEUs will also participate in a half-day of lectures and workshops about autism and other SCCs. Coaches will lastly provide weekly or bi-weekly coaching sessions in the SEUs based on the action plan to promote program quality and implement evidence-based practices. The intervention for each SEU will last for approximately 7-8 months.

  Treatment: APERS+

• Control groupNo study treatment, for comparison

  In the control group, APERS assessments will also be carried out by researchers and/or coaches. Written and oral feedback will be provided, but no further coaching will be given and no action plan will be created.