50 Participants Needed

Social Stories for Autism

(MLSC Trial)

MM
TG
Overseen ByThomas Gottstein
Age: < 18
Sex: Any
Trial Phase: Academic
Sponsor: University of Kansas Medical Center
No Placebo GroupAll trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this early Phase 1 clinical trial is to assess if the social content of a story impacts autistic children's listening comprehension of stories. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Does removing social content from a story improve listening comprehension in autistic children? * Does listening comprehension of more social versus less social stories differentially predict performance on a standardized reading comprehension measure? Participants will listen to more social and less social stories while viewing accompanying pictures and answer comprehension questions about the stories and complete a standardized assessment of reading comprehension. In addition, participants complete measures of their nonverbal cognition, hearing status, autism severity, language abilities, and social communication abilities to help characterize individual differences in participants.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications. It seems unlikely that medication changes are required, as the study focuses on listening comprehension and social stories.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Less Social Stories, More Social Stories for autism?

Research shows that Social Stories can improve social skills in children with autism, with several studies indicating significant benefits in social interaction and behavior. Additionally, combining Social Stories with other techniques like Video Self-Modelling has been effective in teaching social skills, suggesting that these stories can be a valuable tool in addressing social challenges in autism.12345

Is the Social Stories intervention safe for autistic children?

Research on interventions for young autistic children, including those similar to Social Stories, shows that adverse events (physical or psychological distress) and adverse effects (caused by the intervention) are rarely reported. Out of 150 studies, only 11 mentioned adverse events, suggesting a need for better reporting to ensure safety information is available.678910

How is the Social Stories treatment different from other autism treatments?

Social Stories is a unique treatment for autism that uses personalized stories to help children understand and improve their social skills. Unlike other treatments, it focuses on providing tailored social information from the child's perspective, which can lead to better social interactions and decision-making in educational settings.14111213

Research Team

MM

Meghan M Davidson, PhD, CCC-SLP

Principal Investigator

University of Kansas Department of Speech-Language Hearing: Communications and Disorders

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for children aged 9 to almost 13 with an autism diagnosis who speak in phrases and use only one language. They shouldn't have uncorrected vision problems, intellectual impairments (IQ < 70), cerebral palsy, chromosomal abnormalities like Down syndrome, or minimal spoken language.

Inclusion Criteria

I am between 9 and 12 years old.
You have received a diagnosis of autism from either your community or educational institution.
You are verbally capable of using phrases, according to a parent's report.

Exclusion Criteria

I have an intellectual disability with an IQ below 70.
You have vision problems that cannot be fixed with glasses or other treatments.
Minimal spoken language or no phrase spoken language (based on parent report or clinical observation)
See 3 more

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Experimental Measure

Participants complete the Socialness Story Task to measure comprehension of more social and less social stories, along with a standardized test of reading comprehension.

2 sessions of 2.5 hours each
2 visits (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for comprehension outcomes and individual differences in cognition, language, and social communication.

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

  • Less Social Stories
  • More Social Stories
Trial OverviewThe study tests how autistic children understand stories with varying levels of social content. It compares their comprehension when listening to 'more social' versus 'less social' stories while looking at pictures and measures if this affects their reading comprehension skills.
Participant Groups
1Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: More and Less Social ComprehensionExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Participants listen to more social and less social comprehension stories and answer comprehension questions about the stories.

Find a Clinic Near You

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Kansas Medical Center

Lead Sponsor

Trials
527
Recruited
181,000+

University of Kansas

Collaborator

Trials
157
Recruited
332,000+

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Collaborator

Trials
377
Recruited
190,000+

Findings from Research

Out of 150 studies on non-medication interventions for young autistic children, only 11 reported any adverse events, highlighting a significant gap in safety reporting in this area of research.
Among the studies that did report on participant withdrawal, 10 identified reasons that could be classified as adverse events, suggesting that researchers need to improve their methods for tracking and reporting these occurrences to better inform families and professionals.
Adverse event reporting in intervention research for young autistic children.Bottema-Beutel, K., Crowley, S., Sandbank, M., et al.[2023]

References

Social Stories ™ to improve social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review. [2018]
Using social stories and comic strip conversations to promote socially valid outcomes for children with autism. [2022]
The social validity of Social Stories™ for supporting the behavioural and communicative functioning of children with autism spectrum disorder. [2013]
Autism Spectrum Social Stories In Schools Trial (ASSSIST): study protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial analysing clinical and cost-effectiveness of Social Stories in mainstream schools. [2022]
Using video self-modelled social stories to teach social skills to a young child with autism. [2021]
Adverse event reporting in intervention research for young autistic children. [2023]
Prevalence and patterns of use of psychoactive medicines in individuals with autism in the Autism Society of North Carolina. [2015]
Validity of childhood autism in the Danish Psychiatric Central Register: findings from a cohort sample born 1990-1999. [2022]
Placebo-like response in absence of treatment in children with Autism. [2019]
10.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Editorial: Targeting the Core Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder With Mechanism-Based Medications. [2021]
11.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Social stories: mechanisms of effectiveness in increasing game play skills in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder using a pretest posttest repeated measures randomized control group design. [2021]
12.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Brief report: Increasing verbal greeting initiations for a student with autism via a Social Story™ intervention. [2021]
13.United Statespubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
A Pilot Randomised Control Trial of Digitally-Mediated Social Stories for Children on the Autism Spectrum. [2021]