RECRUITING Not applicable ClinicalTrials.gov

Motivation for Daily Living Skills

Sponsor: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia • ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07159308

Registry updated: 2026-10-14

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Description

The goal of this clinical trial is to enhance motivation to complete daily living skills among 16 to 25-year-old autistic teens and young adults. Here are the main questions the trial aims to answer: Can this trial improve motivation to complete daily living skills for skills that people know how to do but struggle to do them consistently? Can this trial improve completion of the daily living skill that the participant identifies they want to do more often? Do people report feeling more empowered to complete the daily living skill they want to do more often? Are there any characteristics of a person that make them more or less likely to benefit from the treatment? Researchers will compare treatments that target different types of motivation: * One treatment focuses on internal motivation and explores what is important to someone and then connect that value back to their daily living skill goal. * A second treatment focuses on external motivation and will explore a person finding outside sources of motivation, like rewards. * A third treatment will use a combination of both methods. Autistic teens and young adults enrolled in this study will also be asked to choose someone in their life to be involved in the study with them. This person is called an "Important Person" (IP) and can be anyone close to them, like a family member, friend, roommate, partner, etc. The IP will be expected to support the teen/young adult throughout this treatment. Participants and their IPs will: * Complete five 'talk' therapy sessions that will last 60 to 90 minutes. The IPs will join the last 15 minutes of each session. * Be assigned to one of the three motivation treatments. * Fill out questionnaires before the first session, after sessions 2 through 5, and up to 4 weeks after therapy ends.

Interventions

Intrinsic Motivation Treatment (Behavioral)
The Intrinsic Motivation treatment utilizes principles of Motivational Interviewing to help autistic young adults increase their desire and completion of daily living skills. This is a five-session intervention. Each clinical session is 60 minutes long. The goals of the treatment are to enhance motivation and behavior change.
Extrinsic Motivation Treatment (Behavioral)
The Extrinsic Motivation treatment utilizes behavioral principles to help autistic adolescents and young adults create reward schedules and behavioral tracking sheets to enhance desire and completion of daily living skills. This is a five-session intervention. Each clinical session is 60 minutes long. The goals of the treatment are to enhance motivation and behavior change.
Combined Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Treatment (Behavioral)
The Combined Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation treatment combines elements of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation treatments to enhance desire and completion of daily living skills. This is a five-session intervention. Each clinical session is 60-90 minutes long. The goals of the treatment are to enhance motivation and behavior change.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Autistic Teens and Young Adults: * Age 16-25 years * Participants reporting an autism diagnosis or Social Communication Disorder diagnosis from a qualified provider (Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Developmental Pediatrician, Neurologist). When possible, diagnosis will be confirmed through the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Electronic Health Record (EHR). * Must identify an important person who is able to communicate by understanding and speaking full sentences in English * Ability to communicate by understanding and using full sentences in English * Informed Consent * Be willing to have sessions audio- and video-recorded Exclusion Criteria for Autistic Teens and Young Adults: * Diagnosis of Intellectual Disability * Participant is currently considered a suicide risk in the opinion of the Investigator or is currently demonstrating active suicidal or homicidal ideation or self-injurious behavior. * Current, comorbid psychiatric disorder with sufficiently intense symptoms in the opinion of the Investigator that these symptoms may confound treatment. * Changes to mental health treatment plan that could alter response to study intervention in the opinion of the Investigator (ex. starting or ending therapy that could influence the daily living skill goal). * Participation in a prior trial of our intrinsic motivation condition Inclusion Criteria for Important Person: * Age 18 years or older * Must attend at least 15 minutes of each treatment session * Ability to communicate by understanding and using full sentences in English * Informed consent * Be willing to have sessions audio- and video-recorded Exclusion Criteria for Important Person: \- Is not willing to support the autistic teen/young adult with their daily living skill goal

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Motivation

Locations

CHOP Center for Advanced Behavioral Healthcare — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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Official Source

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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