Social Stories for Autism

(MLSC Trial)

Overseen By Thomas Gottstein

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Kansas Medical Center

Disqualifiers: Bilingual, Chromosomal abnormalities, Cognitive disability, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

50 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how the social content of stories affects listening comprehension in children with autism. Researchers aim to determine if stories with less social content are easier for these children to understand and how this relates to their reading comprehension abilities. Participants will listen to both types of stories and answer questions about them. Children diagnosed with autism who use verbal phrases may be a good fit for this study. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding how story content impacts comprehension in children with autism.

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 prior data suggests that this method is safe for autistic children?

Research has shown that Social Stories are generally safe and well-tolerated for children with autism. Teachers find them acceptable and effective, and studies have demonstrated improvements in communication and social behaviors. Reviews indicate that Social Story interventions consistently enhance social skills in children with autism, with no reports of negative effects. Therefore, when considering participation in a trial using Social Stories, the available evidence suggests they are a safe option for participants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Social Stories for Autism trial because it's exploring a unique approach to enhancing social comprehension in individuals with autism. Unlike traditional therapies that might focus on behavioral interventions or medication, this trial uses narrative-based techniques, where participants listen to stories designed to improve social understanding. By engaging with both more social and less social comprehension stories, researchers hope to uncover new insights into how storytelling can boost social skills and offer a fresh tool for those with autism to better navigate social interactions. This innovative method could pave the way for more personalized, non-invasive interventions in autism care.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for improving listening comprehension in autistic children?

Research shows that Social Stories™, a popular tool for helping autistic children, can enhance their understanding. Studies have found that these stories aid children in better understanding and performing in social situations. One study showed a decrease in scores measuring social responsiveness, indicating improved social skills. Another study found that digital Social Stories™ significantly improved behavior, understanding, and reduced anxiety in autistic children over four weeks. While some results are mixed, many studies suggest that Social Stories™ can benefit children with autism. In this trial, participants will listen to both more social and less social comprehension stories and answer questions to evaluate their effectiveness. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Meghan M Davidson, PhD, CCC-SLP

Principal Investigator

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

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

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.

Minimal spoken language or no phrase spoken language (based on parent report or clinical observation)

You have vision problems that cannot be fixed with glasses or other treatments.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

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

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Less Social Stories
• More Social Stories

Trial Overview The 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.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: More and Less Social Comprehension Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Participants listen to more social and less social comprehension stories and answer comprehension questions about the stories.

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+

Published Research Related to This Trial

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.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse event reporting in intervention research for young autistic children. Bottema-Beutel, K., Crowley, S., Sandbank, M., et al.[2023]

Citations

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38234364/

Effective digital support for autism: digital social stories Social Stories™ is one of the most popular interventions for autistic children and has been researched extensively. However, effectiveness data ...

2. acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/camh.12740

Autism Spectrum Social Stories in Schools Trial 2 (ASSSIST‐2 ... The CACE analysis, found that Social Stories™ led to a −3.37 point reduction in the SRS-2 scale (indicating higher social responsiveness) at 6 ...

3. commons.lib.jmu.edu commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1110&context=honors201019

The effectiveness of social stories on children with autism ... According to Prelock and colleagues. (2011), it has been indicated that the use of social stories in children with ASD demonstrates improvement in comprehension ...

4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7489673/

Effects of social stories intervention for children and ... There is mixed evidence on the effectiveness of SS. Previous literatures suggested that SS can improve understanding and performance in social situations.

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1750946720300234

Piloting a digitally-mediated social story intervention for ... After a 4-week intervention period, the digital social stories were found to have significantly improved the behaviour, understanding and anxiety of autistic ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7677143/

A Pilot Randomised Control Trial of Digitally-Mediated Social ... Social stories are perceived by teachers of children on the autism spectrum to be an acceptable and effective intervention (100% and 95% respectively; Chan and ...

7. autismbehaviorservices.com autismbehaviorservices.com/social-stories/

Free library of Social Stories for Autism There are many social stories for autism. Topics can range from “Making Eye Contact”, to “Being Patient”, to “Taking Care of Your Electronic Devices.”

8. spark.bethel.edu spark.bethel.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2019&context=etd

The Effects of Social Story Interventions Used With Autistic ... This literature review will focus on how. Social Story interventions show a positive outcome in communication skills, prosocial behaviors, and ...

9. mastermindbehavior.com mastermindbehavior.com/post/the-connection-between-social-stories-and-improved-social-skills-in-asd

The Connection Between Social Stories and Improved ... Research findings from systematic reviews and controlled trials consistently show that social stories are beneficial for children with autism ...