App for Strengthening Services In Specialized Therapeutic Support

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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In partnership with a digital health software company, the University research team created two versions of a mobile application to help behavioral health technicians (BHT's) who work with students with autism collect data. The first version comprises a basic electronic platform for data collection. The second version has the same basic electronic platform for data collection, plus additional features designed to increase motivation to collect data and ease the burden of data collection.

Official Title
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App for Strengthening Services In Specialized Therapeutic Support

Conditions
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Autism Spectrum Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Behavioral economics strategies
* Other: Electronic platform


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Participants must be working as a paraprofessionals or behavioral health technicians Currently providing individual support to children with autism Currently providing services in Philadelphia preschools, schools, day cares, or homes. Exclusion Criteria: n/a

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: After consenting to participate in the trial, participants will be randomized in pairs to one of the two study arms.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Enhanced Electronic Platform<br>A basic electronic platform for data collection that contains additional features designed to increase motivation to collect data and ease of data collection. | Behavioral: Behavioral economics strategies<br>* Behavioral economics features designed to increase motivation to collect data and ease of data collection on the electronic platform.<br>Other: Electronic platform<br>* Electronic platform to collect data<br>|
| Active Comparator: Electronic Platform Not Enhanced<br>A basic electronic platform for data collection. | Other: Electronic platform<br>* Electronic platform to collect data<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The average difference in hourly data collection between groups across three weeks | Measure of frequency paraprofessionals collect hourly interval data with children during each school day, across a three week period. | Three-week trial period | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Theory of Planned Behavior Questionnaire | Theory of Planned Behavior Questionnaire: A measure of participant's intentions to collect data as measured on a 7-point Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The questionnaire is 7 questions and measures intentions, attitude, perceived norms, and self-efficacy. There is no better or worse outcome measured by the scale, only intentions to implement the intervention. | Assessed at baseline and 3 weeks after enrollment | 
| System Usability Scale | System Usability Scale: A validated measure of the usability and satisfaction with a specific technology. Measured by answering 10 questions on a 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. There is no better or worse outcome measured by the scale, only intentions to implement the intervention. | Assessed at baseline and 3 weeks after enrollment | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Data collection, autism, Behavioral Health Technician (BHT), behavioral economics, implementation, implementation strategy, implementation science, Therapeutic Support Staff (TSS)