30158
Cross-Cultural Adaptation to Australia of the Kontakt© Social Skills Group Training Program for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

Panel Presentation
Friday, May 3, 2019: 3:55 PM
Room: 516ABC (Palais des congres de Montreal)
S. J. Girdler1, B. Afsharnejad2, M. Falkmer3, M. H. Black1, T. Alach4, C. Coco5 and S. Bolte6, (1)School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia, (2)Autism Research Team, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Australia, (3)Curtin University, Bentley, Australia, (4)Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre, Bedford, Australia, (5)Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, (6)Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Center for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Background: Social skills group training (SSGT) has shown efficacy in remediating the social communication and interaction challenges faced by adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). KONTAKT, a SSGT for adolescents with ASD, has demonstrated efficacy in young people with ASD in Sweden and Germany, however its cross-cultural feasibility and efficacy in an Australian context remains unknown

Objectives: This pilot study investigated the feasibility and cultural validity of KONTAKT in improving the social skills of Australian adolescents with ASD

Methods: The KONTAKT manual was translated from Swedish to English and subsequently delivered to 16 adolescents with ASD over 16 one and a half hour sessions. The 16 adolescents formed 2 groups of 8 participants, with each group facilitated by 2 trained therapists from the Autism Association of Western Australia. Using a mix methodology design the cross-cultural feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the 16 week variant of KONTAKT was evaluated. A pre-test post-test design evaluated changes in outcomes including socially meaningful goals, ASD related traits, quality of life, emotion recognition and social anxiety, loneliness via adolescent self-report, parent proxy and blind expert rating at 3 time points: baseline, post intervention and at 3-month follow up. Random effects regression model (linear mixed model) examined changes dependent variables. Focus groups were conducted with adolescents and their parents, and KONTAKT trainers eliciting data in relation to the feasibility and outcomes of the program.

Results: All 16 participants completed the program to the follow up. KONTAKT resulted in most adolescents achieving their self-reported socially meaningful goal (p<0.001) and a significant reduction of autism related traits as rated by parents on the SRS-2 (p<0.05), with the effect size (Cohen’s d) ranging from 0.3 to 0.8. Adolescents with ASD also demonstrated improvements in quality of life. Qualitative data suggested that adolescents, parents and trainers were generally satisfied with the KONTAKT program, but identified several areas for improvement particularly in relation to group activities and homework.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that KONTAKT may support Australian adolescents with ASD in reducing their autism related traits and achieving their socially meaningful goals. The pilot study resulted in finalization of KONTAKT Australia in preparation for evaluation of its efficacy in a randomised controlled trial. This study will be designed to control for the potentially confounding effect of exposure to a social context through the use of an active control group and will undertake a cost utility analysis. Findings will inform our understanding of both the efficacy of SSGT interventions in adolescents with ASD and the relationship between dose and response (number of sessions and changes in outcomes) of social skills training programs. (ANZCTR: ACTRN12617001117303, ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03294668)

See more of: Social Skills Training in Autism: Yesterday's Challenges and Tomorrow's Solutions
See more of: Interventions - Non-pharmacologic - School-Age, Adolescent, Adult