ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Telehealth for Distress Related to COVID-19

ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Telehealth for Distress Related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a brief, telehealth intervention (the Emotional Support Plan), intended to support autistic adults to cope with their negative emotions during and/or after the COVID-19 pandemic. The first objective is to develop and refine a brief telehealth-delivered treatment, the Emotional Support Plan (ESP), to help promote adults to cope during periods of acute distress, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second objective is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the ESP to support autistic adults to implement emotion regulation strategies during periods of acute distress. The last objective is to yield preliminary data to apply for extramural grants to validate these methods to monitor and support mental health of autistic adults during key transitions (e.g., starting college).

Inclusion Criteria Adults 18 years or older with previously established diagnoses in ASD will be invited to participate. Adults who have a verbal IQ above 70 or who are students admitted to a college or university will be included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria

• Individuals who are younger than 18 years old or who does not have diagnosis of ASD will excluded from the study as the purpose of the current research is to evaluate the validity of ESPs in adults with autism.
• Adults who are unable to understand English will be excluded because the instruments being investigated are currently only validated in English and the study team is not sufficiently fluent in other languages to provide assurance that informed consent could be obtained (or intervention provided) in a language besides English.
• Subjects without access to a compatible iOS and Android smartphone (nearly all phones from the past 10 years are compatible) will be excluded because the study requires subjects to record responses on a smartphone app. Individuals will not be excluded from the study based on race, ethnicity or gender.
• Subjects who have a verbal IQ below 70 will be excluded as this is a study that requires self-report and engagement in a one-on-one intervention.
• If the PI's clinical judgment is that it would not be in the adult's best interest to be enrolled, they may also be excluded.