Skip to main content
ABCT 2024 58th Annual Convention Main banner
Psychology Tools Ad
Final Program


Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
Recorded Session
Recorded Session
Ticketed Session
Ticketed Session
Back
Evaluation ViewAttendees 3

Dissemination & Implementation Science
Symposia

Symposium 47 - Community-Partnered Research Approaches to Tailor Evidence-Based Practices for Autistic People

Friday, November 15, 2024
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EST
Location: Liberty C, Level 3, Downtown Marriott
CE: 1.5

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Community-Based, Implementation
Level of Familiarity: Moderate
Recommended Readings: Dickson, K. S., Lind, T., Jobin, A., Kinnear, M., Lok, H., & Brookman-Frazee, L. (2021). A systematic review of mental health interventions for ASD: Characterizing interventions, intervention adaptations, and implementation outcomes. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 48(5), 857–883.,   Nicolaidis, C., Raymaker, D., Kapp, S. K., Baggs, A., Ashkenazy, E., McDonald, K., Weiner, M., Maslak, J., Hunter, M., & Joyce, A. (2019). The AASPIRE practice-based guidelines for the inclusion of autistic adults in research as co-researchers and study participants. Autism, 23(8), 2007–2019.,  

Tschida, J. E., Lee, J. D., Pomales-Ramos, A., & Koo, V. (2024). Reported quality indicators and implementation outcomes of community partnership in autism intervention research: A systematic review. Autism, 17(2), 215–233

,   Schwartzman, J. M., Roth, M. C., Paterson, A. V., Jacobs, A. X., & Williams, Z. J. (2023). Community-guided, autism-adapted group cognitive behavioral therapy for depression in autistic youth (CBT-DAY): Preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy. Autism. ,  

To optimize the likelihood that evidence-based practices (EBPs) are adopted in community settings, EBPs must be feasible, appropriate, and acceptable for diverse service settings, providers, and those they are intending to support. Thus, when implementing EBPs in real world settings, it is important to modify or adapt EBPs to ensure optimal “fit” to the environment (e.g., schools, community mental health) and client characteristics (e.g., sensory sensitivities). EBP adaptation may be especially important for autistic individuals to enhance intervention effectiveness (e.g., Wood et al., 2020) and to ensure that the practices are tailored to autistic individuals’ needs, which is a leading priority in the autistic community (Crane et al., 2019). Importantly, fidelity to implementation of an intervention (i.e., the extent to which the intervention is implemented as designed) is predictive of client outcomes, such that some modifications may enhance outcomes whereas others may not. Thus, there is a clear need for systematic approaches to the modification and adaptation of EBPs for autistic individuals to balance flexibility with fidelity. Community engagement is considered key to successful EBP adaptation, such that the inclusion of community partners (e.g., autistic individuals, clinicians) can increase the fit with client and clinician needs and characteristics. Moreover, research has historically been conducted without the input of autistic people, which has contributed to research that is not aligned with the priorities of the autistic community. Thus, the inclusion of autistic individuals and other community partners who work with autistic people via community-engaged research is crucial for ensuring more equitable and meaningful practices that support the health and well-being of the autistic community. The aim of the symposium is to describe community-partnered methodologies for EBP adaptation to enhance their translation and effectiveness in community settings for autistic individuals across the lifespan. The symposium will showcase four examples of community-partnered methodologies to EBP development and testing across diverse settings and mental health needs. Given that EBPs often are adapted for autistic people, but without clear guidelines for the most effective and feasible approaches to community-engaged adaptations, the first project (Tschida et al.) is a scoping review of community-engaged approaches to adaptation for autistic youth served in community settings. Then, we will highlight four unique community-engaged approaches to EBP adaptation. The second project (Dickson et al.) offers an example of a multi-step community-engaged process to translate an implementation toolkit targeting EBP selection designed from community settings to schools, a primary service setting for autistic youth. The remaining projects center on methods to tailor evidence-based interventions for autistic people with trauma (Ahlers et al.), depression (Schwartzman et al.), and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (McVey et al.) from adolescence to adulthood. We will offer lessons learned and recommendations for using community-engaged research methods to improve the relevance and fit of EBPs for autistic people.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Characterize approaches to adapt evidence-based practices to enhance their translation and effectiveness for autistic individuals.
  2. Describe four unique community-partnered approaches to adapt EBPs for autistic individuals across settings and areas of mental health need.
  3. Identify recommendations for tailoring EBPs for autistic individuals across the lifespan using community-engaged research methods.
  4. Describe examples of commonly identified adaptations to EBPs for autistic people, including methods to identify and document adaptations.
  5. Discuss the implications of community-partnered research approaches for the dissemination and implementation of EBPs.

Presentations:

  • 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EST
    (SYM 47) A Scoping Review of Approaches to Adapt Mental and Behavioral Health Evidence-based Practices (EBPs) for Autistic Youth in Community-based Settings

    Speaker: Jessica Tschida, M.A. (she/her/hers) – Michigan State University

    Co-author: Kent Key, Ph.D., MPH (he/him/his) – Michigan State University

    Co-author: Abby Stanley, - (she/her/hers) – Michigan State University

    Co-author: Amy Drahota, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Michigan State University

  • 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EST
    (SYM 47) Incorporating Autistic Voice to Iterative Redesign of an Implementation Toolkit Targeting Autism Evidence-based Intervention Selection

    Speaker: Kelsey Dickson, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – San Diego State University

    Co-author: Olivia Michael, B.S. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington

    Co-author: Amy Drahota, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Michigan State University

  • 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EST
    (SYM 47) Applying the ADAPT-ITT Framework to Modify Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Autistic Youth

    Speaker: Kaitlyn Ahlers, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Dartmouth Health

    Co-author: Haley Banta, Undergraduate Student (she/her/hers) – Dartmouth Health

    Co-author: Mary K. Jankowski, PhD (she/her/hers) – Dartmouth Health

    Co-author: Kelly Aschbrenner, PhD (she/her/hers) – Dartmouth Health

  • 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EST
    (SYM 47) Leveraging Community-based Participatory Research Approaches to Design and Test Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression in Autistic Youth (CBT-DAY)

    Speaker: Jessica Schwartzman, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Southern California

    Co-author: Marissa Roth, M.S. – Vanderbilt University

    Co-author: Ann Paterson, PhD (she/her/hers) – Williams Baptist University

    Co-author: Alexandra X. Jacobs, B.A. – Independent

    Co-author: Zachary J. Williams, Ph.D. – Vanderbilt University

  • 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EST
    (SYM 47) Redesigning Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Autistic Young Adults with Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: A Stakeholder-driven Blueprint

    Speaker: Alana J. McVey, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington School of Medicine

    Co-author: Adora Du, BS (she/her/hers) – University of Washington

    Co-author: Samantha Seaver, BA (she/her/hers) – Seattle Children's Autism Center

    Co-author: Rene Niessner, MS (she/her/hers) – Purdue University

    Co-author: Henry Boeh, PhD (he/him/his) – Center for Behavioral medicine

    Co-author: Casey Wilson, MS (she/her/hers) – University of Washington

    Co-author: Shannon Schoonover, LMHC (she/her/hers) – Wise Mind Academy

    Co-author: Jill Locke, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – University of Washington School of Medicine