Autistic Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
applied behavioral analysis, data collection software
Brief summary
This is a study funded by a Phase II SBIR to build and test the feasibility of a new software prototype for delivering evidence-based behavioral therapy treatment for autism. The software, called Motivity.net, will be used by behavioral therapy provider groups across the country to manage the intensive data collection and analysis workflow associated with Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and related therapies, which are becoming standard-of-care treatment for children with autism.
Detailed description
This is a study funded by a Phase II SBIR to build and test the feasibility of a new software prototype for delivering evidence-based behavioral therapy treatment for autism. The software, called Motivity.net, will be used by behavioral therapy provider groups across the country to manage the intensive data collection and analysis workflow associated with Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and related therapies, which are becoming standard-of-care treatment for children with autism. Experiad will conduct an 8-week within-subject pilot study of 6 BCBAs, 12 BTs and 12 children to answer product research questions about Motivity's ability to perform its intended functions, measuring the degree to which it allows interventionists to encode their models, achieve more efficient program management, improve communication, and increase responsiveness to a child's progress. Experiad will also use descriptive statistics to provide preliminary insight into the potential impact of the system on a child's performance in their ABA therapy.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALApplied Behavioral Analysis
Children are receiving Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy to treat their autism. Therapy is comprised of 15-20 discrete programs that are intended to shape specific behaviors. Tutors collect data on child's performance towards goals. For each child, some of the programs will be tracked with paper data collection methods, others will use electronic data collection. This study is to test the usefulness of the electronic data collection system to replace paper in existing interventions.
Sponsors
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
University of Washington
northwest behavioral associates
Experiad LLC
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
All children enrolled in the study will already receiving ABA therapy Each tutor-child pair will have worked together regularly for at least 3 months prior to the study. Each child will have 15-20 active therapy programs, each of which will be randomly assigned to one of two sets: the experimental (Motivity-enabled) or control (therapy-as-usual). For the control set, BTs will use their existing methods, either paper-based or a competitor's data collection system. Tutors will use Motivity for 8 weeks in therapy under supervision in a single case-study pilot.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
2 Years to 21 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Child receiving applied behavior analysis at participating institution to treat autism disorder
Exclusion criteria
* None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of software on number of updates to programs made by behavior analysts (intervention agility) | Data will be collected continuously from start to end of study; totals will be analyzed at the end of study (8 weeks from start date) | Comparing the frequency of program updates between electronic programs and paper programs |
| Event tracking usability assessed by user ratings | Likert scale to be administered at the end of study (8 weeks from start date) | Number of tutors who rate it highly on likert scale |
| Program editing efficiency as assessed by usage analysis | Time will be tracked continuously from start to end of study; totals will be analyzed at the end of study (8 weeks from start date) | Comparison of total time spent editing electronic programs vs paper programs. |
| Impact of software on trial success rate | Data will be collected continuously from start to end of study; totals will be analyzed at the end of study (8 weeks from start date) | Comparison of overall trial success rate (percent of trails meeting success threshold) in electronic administered programs compared to paper administered programs |
| Impact of software on trials to criterion (number of trials needed to achieve mastery) | Data will be collected continuously from start to end of study; totals will be analyzed at the end of study (8 weeks from start date) | Comparison of trials to criterion (number of trials needed to achieve mastery) in electronic administered programs compared to paper administered programs |
| Impact of software on total number of targets mastered | Data will be collected continuously from start to end of study; totals will be analyzed at the end of study (8 weeks from start date) | Comparison of total number of targets mastered in electronic administered programs compared to paper administered programs |
Countries
United States
Contacts
Primary ContactRex Jakobovits, PhD
Outcome results
None listed