Pilot Trial of a Social Skills Group Treatment (Secret Agent Society Program)
Condition: Anxiety; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
MeSH terms: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Several independent evaluations have supported the effectiveness of the Secret Agent Society
      (SAS) Program in improving the social-emotional functioning of children with Autism Spectrum
      Disorders (ASD) in clinic- (Beaumont & Sofronoff, 2008; Tan, Mazzucchelli & Beaumont,
      submitted), school-(Beaumont, Rotolone & Sofronoff, in press; Einfeld et al., submitted) and
      remote Skype/telephone-assisted delivery contexts (Sofronoff, Silva & Beaumont, in press).The
      present study aims to extend on the above literature by conducting a 6-month randomized
      controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness, utility and acceptability (including cultural
      acceptability) of the Secret Agent Society (SAS) social-emotional skills training program.
      Specifically, the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the SAS Program for 8-12
      year-old children with social difficulties in the context of a range of diagnosed mental
      health conditions and/or developmental disorders, including anxiety disorders, ADHD, and
      Autism Spectrum Disorder.
    

Detailed description: 
      Several independent evaluations have supported the effectiveness of the Secret Agent Society
      (SAS) Program in improving the social-emotional functioning of children with Autism Spectrum
      Disorders (ASD) in clinic, school and remote Skype/telephone-assisted delivery contexts.
      Results from a pilot University clinic evaluation of the program for children with
      social-emotional difficulties but without ASD has also yielded positive findings, showing
      comparable treatment effects to those achieved for children with ASD in terms of improved
      social-emotional functioning. Within the USA, results from a two-year Buffalo School District
      implementation project and delivery of the program through USC University Center for
      Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD Children's Hospital Los Angeles) have
      provided further support for the effectiveness and cross-cultural appropriateness of the
      intervention with children who have a range of mental health challenges. The present study
      aims to extend on the above literature by conducting a 6-month randomized controlled trial
      evaluating the effectiveness, utility and acceptability (including cultural acceptability) of
      the Secret Agent Society (SAS) social-emotional skills training program. Specifically, the
      study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the SAS Program for 8-12 year-old children with
      social difficulties in the context of a range of diagnosed mental health conditions and/or
      developmental disorders, including anxiety disorders, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
      Outcome variables will include measures of child social functioning and mental health
      outcomes related to their primary diagnoses (e.g. anxiety, disruptive behaviour, etc).
    

Intervention name(s): Secret Agent Society (SAS) Program; Waitlist Group / Treatment As Usual
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): The Secret Agent Society (SAS) intervention involves subjects participating in 9 weekly two-hour therapy groups ('Club meetings') with 3 to 6 other children. The SAS intervention includes a number of components to help children apply the skills that they learn in the session to home.; The wait list control condition includes the treatment participants are already receiving (which may include but is not limited to: individual therapy, group therapy, and/or medication management). Therefore, the wait list control condition consists of treatment which is individually tailored for each participant. Parent and child assessments will be completed at pre and post treatment (Wk 1 and Wk 10) and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up booster visits. The wait-list group will then be given the opportunity to participate in the SAS intervention at their treating clinic.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment