Recruiting

Metacognitive Training

Sponsor:

University of Missouri-Columbia

Code:

NCT07216196

Conditions

Autism

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 13 - 21

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Pathways and Resources for Engagement and Participation (PREP)

Study Details

Brief summary:

This project seeks to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a remote metacognitive strategy training intervention in transition-age autistic adolescents and young adults and a primary caregiver. We will also conduct limited efficacy testing.

Conditions

Autism

Study ID

NCT07216196

Start date

Apr 8, 2026

Status verified date

Jan, 2026

Completion date

May 3, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Nov 3, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 13 - 21

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Autistic adolescents aged 13-21 AND one primary parent, guardian, or caregiver aged 18 or older
  • At least one year remaining in high school
  • Ability to engage in reciprocal conversation
  • Ability to provide informed consent/assent as part of an adapted procedure designed to prevent coercion and protect the rights of autistic adolescents with or without intellectual disability

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe or profound intellectual disability (IQ<35)
  • Severe mental health conditions that interfere with ability to participate in the intervention
  • Currently enrolled in community-based transition services redundant with remote PREP

Study Design

Enrollment

24 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Remote Metacognitive Strategy Training

The intervention group will complete the remote metacognitive strategy training intervention immediately.

no intervention: Waitlist Control

The waitlist control group will wait 12 weeks without intervention. Then, they will crossover into the intervention arm and receive the remote metacognitive strategy training intervention.

Interventions

Pathways and Resources for Engagement and Participation (PREP)

Pathways and Resources for Engagement and Participation (PREP) is a collaborative problem-solving intervention that targets environmental barriers-physical, social, attitudinal, familial, and institutional-while leveraging adolescent and family strengths. Caregivers are integrated as key supports. The five-step process includes: (1) make goals, (2) map out a plan, (3) make it happen, (4) measure outcomes, and (5) move forward. We will set four activity-based transition goals using the Transition Planning Inventory-2nd Edition and Goal Attainment Scaling. Providers will use guided discovery to help adolescents and caregivers identify strategies that modify activities or environments to support participation in transition activities. Adolescents and caregivers will implement strategies between sessions and revise strategies with the provider in future sessions if unsuccessful. Participants will complete 12 weekly 60-min remote PREP sessions over 12-16 weeks.

Primary outcome measure

  • Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) [ Time Frame: Intervention - week 13; Waitlist control - week 25 ]
  • Semi-Structured Interview [ Time Frame: Intervention - week 13; Waitlist control - week 25 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Melanie M. Tkach, PhD

573-882-0992melanie.tkach@health.missouri.edu

Locations

University of Missouri - Columbia

Recruiting

Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65211

Contacts

Melanie M. Tkach, PhD

573-882-0992melanie.tkach@health.missouri.edu

Principal Investigator:

Melanie M. Tkach, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of Missouri-Columbia

Last update posted

Apr 28, 2026

Last verified

Jan, 2026

Keywords

  • Occupational Therapy
  • Autism
  • Transition to Adulthood
  • Waitlist Crossover

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Missouri-Columbia on 2026-04-28.