A Crisis Prevention Program for Youth With Autism

The crisis prevention program involves a 3-session model. Each session lasts up to 60 minutes. They take place via telehealth with a licensed clinical therapist. Sessions involve case formulation, provision of prevention strategies, connecting with professional and lay resources, what to do if a crisis occurs, and strategies to prevent the re-occurrence of a crisis, should one occur. Each session involves use of checklists, a community resource guide, and homework. Implementation is standardized using two different manuals, one for the parent and the other for the provider.

The control condition will involve sending families the Autism Speaks Challenging Behavior Toolkit. It offers a complimentary set of recommendations. It is freely available and can be found here: https://www.autismspeaks.org/tool-kit/challenging-behaviors-tool-kit. There is no interaction with the clinician in the controlcondition. After the study observation period, we will provide them with the crisis manual (for parents) used in the active treatment arm.