A Pilot Participatory Program Evaluation of a Virtual Trauma Support Program for Autistic Adults

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Autism, Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Symptom

In brief

The goal of this single-group clinical trial is to learn about the initial efficacy and feasibility of telehealth-delivered Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for autistic adults with traumatic stress symptoms. The main questions the investigators aim to answer are: * Do symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring mental health concerns decrease after receiving WET? * Do biobehavioral health outcomes, including objective (Fitbit indicators of activity, sleep, and heart rate) and subjectively-reported health variables (e.g., sleep, pain, health-related quality of life), improve after receiving WET? * How do autistic adults experience WET, and how can this program be modified and enhance in the future in collaboration with autistic adults? Participants will complete the following as part of the study, which is completed entirely over telehealth. * Participants will first complete an initial assessment, involving brief measures of cognition and autistic traits, as well as interviews and questionnaires about PTSD, mental health, and physical health. If eligible, participants will proceed to the following steps: * Eligible participants will then start wearing a Fitbit, to be used for the duration of the study. * Participants will then participate in 5 weekly virtual visits involving the WET protocol, including weekly brief assessment of PTSD and mental and physical health. * Then, participants will complete a sixth virtual visit the following week where PTSD, mental and physical health, and treatment feedback are assessed. * Lastly, participants will complete virtual visits 1 and 6 months later involving re-assessment of PTSD and mental and physical health. Therefore, this is a pre-post single group design, where all participants will receive WET to establish initial efficacy and feasibility. Investigators will also consult with an autistic advisory board throughout the project, and make adaptations as recommended in consultation with autistic adults. The goal is to better understand the initial efficacy and feasibility of WET for supporting autistic adults who have experienced trauma.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT05862467
Run by: University of Wyoming
People needed: 28
Starts: 2023-10-26
Expected to finish: 2025-02-12
Last updated by the study team: 2026-07-02

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Autistic
Age 18 years or over
Has experienced trauma and reports clinically significant symptoms of traumatic stress (clinically elevated score on either Posttraumatic Symptom Checklist (PCL-5) or Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (SCID-5), and/or other self-report/interview evidence of significant traumatic stress symptoms for which participant wants support/program
Comfortable speaking and writing in English
Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) score >= 65 (given written nature of Written Exposure Therapy) on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-2)
Access to device with internet access for telehealth visits

You may not qualify if…

Participant is not Autistic
Participant is unable to understand English
Participant is currently receiving trauma-focused therapeutic services
Participant does not have access to internet connected device for telehealth visits
Participant receives Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) score < 65 on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence-Second Edition (WASI-2)
If there are significant safety concerns for any participant (e.g., imminent risk of harm to self or other) the Principal Investigator may determine whether it is not in the adult's best interest to be enrolled given that this study does not provide care/services relating to active risk.

Where it is running

University of Wyoming — Laramie, Wyoming, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.