Project Description
Challenge
Kids with autism commonly struggle to regulate their emotions and handle the day-to-day stressors in their lives. As a result, they are at increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders and anger issues.
Project Summary
Secret Agent Society is a cognitive behavioural intervention designed to help school-aged children with autism “crack the code” of emotions and social interactions. Delivered in a group format with both kids and their parents, it uses entertaining, espionage-themed pedagogical tools, including board games, a walkie-talkie game and a computer game. It targets core areas of difficulty for kids with autism, such as recognizing emotions, expressing them appropriately and coping with negative ones.
Kids Brain Health Network researchers led a randomized controlled trial suggesting that the Secret Agent Society improves kids’ emotional-regulation abilities and reduces symptoms and behaviours such as anxiety or uncontrolled outbursts. It also improves parents’ emotional regulation, mindful parenting and depression.
These improvements were all made under ideal conditions, in a tightly controlled experiment with expert facilitators at York University. The investigators now want to see whether the intervention can be similarly helpful in “real-world” conditions. They’ve therefore partnered with several publicly funded centres where families are already going for support with autism. These agencies will recruit families to try the intervention, and three staff members at each one will get trained to deliver it. Researchers will measure the outcomes.
Looking Towards the Future
Around 84 to 90 kids will participate in Secret Agent Society for this study. The investigators expect it will improve their emotional regulation and social performance. Meanwhile, partnering agencies will provide valuable information about the feasibility of the intervention and whether or not they struggled to implement it faithfully. Put together, this data will inform the clinical significance of Secret Agent Society in the community and possibly help it to reach more families via publicly funded Canadian providers.
Funding
Kids Brain Health Network – $99,884.00
Team
Principal Investigator
Jonathan Weiss, York University
Co-investigators
Connor Kerns, University of British Columbia
Stephanie Ameis, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto
Meng-Chuan Lai, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto
Johanna Lake, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto
Kendra Thomson, Brock University
Alex Elkader, Kinark Child and Family Services
Melissa Legree, Lake Ridge Community Support Services
Kylie Gray, University of Warwick
Partners
Geneva Centre for Autism
Woodview Autism and Mental Health Services
Lake Ridge Community Support Services
Surrey Place Centre
Kerry’s Place Autism Service
Kinark Child and Family Services
