Trauma‑Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy adapted for autistic children and teens (pilot implementation)

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

An open pilot will deliver a modified Trauma‑Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF‑CBT) protocol to autistic youth aged 6–17 with moderate trauma-related distress and their non‑offending caregivers. Community mental health clinicians who are trained in TF‑CBT and employed at participating centers will provide the treatment in outpatient settings. Outcomes will focus on feasibility, acceptability, and symptom change measured with instruments such as the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen‑2 (CATS‑2). The pilot tests implementation procedures in a real-world community mental health setting affiliated with Dartmouth‑Hitchcock and enrolls youth already on a participating clinician's caseload.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria for Therapists

1. Employed as a clinician at a participating Community Mental Health Center (CMHC; publicly-funded mental health program) for at least 6 months.
2. Trained in TF-CBT.
3. Has an eligible autistic youth on current caseload (see below).

Inclusion Criteria for Child Participants

1. Between 6 and 18 years old (up to 17 years, 11 months).
2. Current medical diagnosis of autism.
3. Has a non-offending caregiver who is able to participate in treatment (i.e., caregiver who is not the perpetrator of the abuse/other trauma).
4. Initiated outpatient psychotherapy services from participating therapist within enrolled CMHC.
5. A moderate level of trauma-related distress as measured by the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen-2 (CATS-2).

Exclusion Criteria for Child Participants

1\. Does not present with trauma-related distress (score falls within the "Normal" range as measured by the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen-2 Self- and Parent-Report).

Where it's running

• Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
  Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Kaitlyn Ahlers, PhD — Dartmouth Health
• Study coordinator: Kaitlyn Ahlers, PhD
• Email: kaitlyn.p.ahlers@hitchcock.org
• Phone: 603-650-7075

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.