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The investigators are looking to evaluate how effective a training program that focuses on character strengths may be in improving job maintenance skills in young adults. The investigators are examining the effects of this intervention in young adults who feel they would like to help in improving their satisfaction with work, and in keeping their jobs.
Individuals with autism possess employable and valuable strengths and abilities. Unfortunately, despite these strengths, individuals with autism experience challenges in obtaining and maintaining employment. Traditionally, the majority of interventions designed for autism (including those focused on employment) focus on remediating deficits, without harnessing the strengths of those with autism. This deficit-based approach (i.e. to fix what is deficient in a person with autism) has triggered increasing criticism and dissatisfaction from the autism community. A growing shift toward strength-based training tools represent a holistic approach to treatment of autistic individuals by acknowledging and using their strengths to improve outcomes. To date, no strength-based employment programs have been examined in individuals with autism. Thus, in the current project, the investigators aim to develop and test a strength-based employment program. At Kessler Foundation, the investigators have developed a strength-based training tool: Kessler Foundation Strength Identification and Expression (KF-STRIDE®) which targets job interview skills by teaching individuals with autism to identify and express their personal strengths to a future employer. In the current proposal, the investigators aim to adapt this program to specifically target job maintenance skills.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment Group | Experimental | In this arm, participants would participate in in an intervention program that uses character strengths to improve job maintenance skills in young adults. |
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| Control Group | No Intervention | In this arm, participants are services as usual and will participate in their regular activities. |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KF-STRIDE® Into Work! | Behavioral | Treatment group will receive 10 web based sessions of a strength-based training tool(once or twice a week). Sessions are approximately 60 minutes long. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Parent Report Employment Questionnaire | Consists of questions answered by parents regarding employment difficulties in their children . Questions of employment valued by yes or no, with yes being valued higher. And amount of hours worked from 0-40, with higher score indicating a better outcome. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Work Self-Efficacy Scale | 10 items, scores range from 10-50 with higher scores indicating perceived work capability. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Strengths Self-Efficacy Scale | Measures the level of one's confidence in her/his ability to practice and apply her/his strengths. 34 items, scores range from 0-340 | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Strengths Knowledge and Strengths Use Scale(SKUS) | Measure to assess knowledge and use of one's strengths and measure changes following strengths-based interventions. Two scores: Strengths Use and Strengths Knowledge. Strengths Use values range from 14-98, with higher score indicating a better outcome. Strengths Knowledge values range from 8-56, with higher score indicating a better outcome. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Flourishing(FS) | Measure of well-being and "flourishing". Values range from 8-56, with higher score indicating a better outcome. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Patients Global Impression of Change | Measure of perception of intervention resulting in meaningful change for a participant's life. 6 Items, with higher score indicating effectiveness of positive change. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Work Satisfaction | 20 item part 1, scores range from 20-100. Measure of present job satisfaction, with higher scores indicating higher job satisfaction. 8 item part 2 with open-ended questions, there is no maximum or minimum. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Job search |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helen Genova, Ph. D. | Contact | 973-324-8390 | hgenova@kesslerfoundation.org |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Helen Genova, Ph. D. | Kessler Foundation | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kessler Foundation | Recruiting | East Hanover | New Jersey | 07936 | United States |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D001321 | Autistic Disorder |
| D000067877 | Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D002659 | Child Development Disorders, Pervasive |
| D065886 | Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D015870 | Gene Expression |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D055614 | Genetic Phenomena |
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Kessler Foundation Strength Identification and Expression (KF-STRIDE® Into Work!)
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| Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Intervention Effectiveness From Participant Point | Measure of perception of intervention resulting in meaningful change for a participant's life. 15 Items, with higher score indicating effectiveness of positive change. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
12 item, 0-60 with the higher score indicating the greater level of job search behaviors. |
| Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Search for Work Self-Efficacy Scale | 12 items, scores range from 12-60. Items concern one's perception of their capability to select among job offers, to build strategies for the attainment of a goal, to respect other people's competences, and to work with new members, to manage time difficulties, and stressful situations typical of job searches, to consider a failure a challenge rather than a problem. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Connor- Davidson Resilience Scale(CD-RISC) | 10 items, scores range from 0 to 40. Lower scores indicate less resilience and higher scores indicate greater resilience. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Voicemail Elicitation Task(VET)/ Email Elicitation Task(EET) | Measures how individuals respond to social situations using politeness/impoliteness. Values are calculated by dividing the total number of politeness markers by the total time in minutes, with a higher score indicating a better outcome. There are no minimum or maximum values for this test. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Work Chat Assessment | Measure of work place appropriate behavior. Participants interact with a virtual human avatar in various scenarios. Higher scores indicate more appropriate work place behavior. Minimum of 0 and Maximum of 100. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale(RSES) | Self-report self-esteem questionnaire. Values range from 10-40, with higher score indicating better outcome. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |
| Twenty Statements Task | 20-item questionnaire used to measure an individual's self concept filling out the twenty items that each start with the words "I am..." which will be analyzed for positive and negative valence, with higher score indicating a better outcome. There is no maximum or minimum value for this test. | Baseline, Immediate Post-test between weeks 7 and 8 |