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Symposia
Dissemination & Implementation Science
Alana J. McVey, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington, United States
Adora Du, BS (she/her/hers)
Research Coordinator
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, United States
Samantha Seaver, BA (she/her/hers)
Research Coordinator
Seattle Children's Autism Center
Seattle, Washington, United States
Rene Niessner, MS (she/her/hers)
Doctoral Student
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
Henry Boeh, PhD (he/him/his)
Clinical Psychologist
Center for Behavioral medicine
Brookfield, Wisconsin, United States
Casey Wilson, MS (she/her/hers)
Stakeholder/Alumna
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, United States
Shannon Schoonover, LMHC (she/her/hers)
Mental Health Counselor
Wise Mind Academy
Spokane, Washington, United States
Jill Locke, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington, United States
Autistic adults demonstrate extremely high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) that substantially threaten their physical health and well-being. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) shows promise for this population, yet the few studies that have tested it did not use a systematic or iterative process engaging key stakeholders. This overarching project uses the Discover, Design/Build, Test framework, which combines implementation science and human-centered design, to redesign DBT in the community to meet the unique needs of Autistic young adults.
We used inclusive research practices and invited community stakeholders to join the project. These stakeholders were two Autistic clinicians (one of whom is intensively trained in DBT) and one DBT-Linehan Board Certified clinician as collaborators who were involved in regular project planning meetings, as well three additional Autistic DBT clinicians with whom we consulted on the study design and data interpretation. We planned and delivered a Demonstration Study of the unadapted DBT materials with a group of Autistic young adults and solicited their feedback regarding elements that should be maintained, added, adapted, or removed.
Key findings highlight that the Autistic young adults liked many aspects of unadapted DBT (e.g., the focus on dialectics and acceptance). They recommended few additions (e.g., visuals, skills for interoception), and no deletions. They identified several modifications (e.g., contextualization of Behavioral Chain Analysis, plain language skills handouts) and placed a strong emphasis on the importance of clinicians having an affirming view of Autism.
Findings from the Demonstration Study inform 1) a training for DBT clinicians to gain insights into the experiences of Autistic young adults in distress (i.e., Autistic meltdowns and burnout) and 2) recommended adaptations to meet the unique needs of Autistic young adults with STB/NSSI. The next step in this work is usability testing these preliminary modifications with DBT clinicians.