Document text
Principal Investigator: Matthew James Smith
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $807,005
Funding agency: National Institute of Mental Health
Project Summary:
Pre-employment transition services is federally-mandated by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act
(2014) to help prepare autistic transition-age youth for the workforce prior to existing high school. However,
there are few evidence-based practices implemented within pre-employment transition services, which
contribute to low employment rates among autistic transition-age youth. A limitation of pre-employment
transition services is the job interview component, which utilizes teacher-led role-play training that lacks
empirical validation, is resource-intensive, and does not adhere to best practices to train sustainable changes
in behavior (e.g., repeated practice, scaffolding, token economy). Moreover, the autism community as voice
the need for better job interview preparation. To fill this training need, our team (via R34 MH111531) partnered
with the autism community to adapt Virtual Reality Job interview Training (VR-JIT, an internet-delivered job
interview simulator with four levels of automated feedback with elearning job interview content) to meet the
needs of autistic transition-age youth (now called Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth (VIT)). Our
subsequent randomized controlled trial demonstrated several aspects of VIT feasibility, including delivery by
local teachers at five schools, training teachers as VIT implementers, and completing the pilot RCT (i.e.,
recruitment, enrollment, study completers). The results of this pilot study demonstrated that VIT was initially
effective at improving job interview skills, job interview anxiety, and competitive employment within 6 months of
completing VIT. Thus, the overarching goal of this study is to conduct a fully-powered trial to evaluate the
impact of VIT across approximately 16 schools via a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation RCT. Our
specific aims are to 1) Evaluate whether pre-employment transition services (ETS) with VIT, as compared to
ETS with an active control intervention (i.e., job interview didactics/elearning with a series of 3-5 minutes
videos of employed autistic adults talking about their career pathways), enhances employment outcomes; 2)
Evaluate mechanisms of employment outcomes and psychological distress by nine months post-
randomization; and 3) Conduct a multilevel, mixed-method process evaluation to assess initial implementation
outcomes (i.e., facilitators, barriers, scalability, and affordability of VIT implementation).
Terms: <ASD><ASD community><Active Follow-up><Address><Age><Anxiety><Assess implementation><Autism><Autistic Disorder><Behavior><Career Choice><Career Path><Disparities><Disparity><E-learning><Early Infantile Autism><Education><Educational aspects><Effectiveness><Employment><Employment Application><Enrollment><Evaluation><Evidence based practice><Face><Faculty Education><Faculty Training><Feedback><Focus Groups><Future><Goals><Grant><Health Services Evaluation><Health Services Research><Hour><Hybrids><Implementation assessment><Infantile Autism><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Interview><Job Application><Jobs><Kanner's Syndrome><Measures><Mediating><Mediation><Medical Care Research><Medical Rehabilitation><Mental Depression><Mental Health><Mental Hygiene><Methods><Motivation><NIMH><National Institute of Mental Health><Negotiating><Negotiation><Occupations><Outcome><Persons><Pilot Projects><Play><Preparation><Professional Positions><Psychological Health><Race><Races><Randomized><Randomized, Controlled Trials><Recommendation><Rehabilitation><Rehabilitation therapy><Research><Research Resources><Resources><Role><Salaries><Schools><Series><Services><Site><Special Education><Strategic Planning><Survey Instrument><Surveys><System><Teacher Education><Teacher Educator><Teacher Preparation><Teacher Professional Development><Teacher Training><Technology><Testing><Time><Token Economy><Token Reinforcement><Training><Unemployment><Validation><Variant><Variation><Voice><Wages><Work><Youth><Youth 10-21><active control><active followup><adolescent with ASD><adolescent with autism><adolescent with autism spectrum disorder><adolescents on the autism spectrum><adult with ASD><adult with autism><adult with autism spectrum disorder><adults on the autism spectrum><adults on the spectrum><ages><assess effectiveness><autism attributes><autism community><autism indicator><autism spectral disorder><autism spectrum disorder><autism spectrum disorder community><autism spectrum disorder features><autism spectrum disorder indicator><autism spectrum disorder symptoms><autism symptomology><autism symptoms><autism-like symptoms><autism-related attributes><autistic><autistic adolescent><autistic adult><autistic features><autistic spectrum disorder><autistic symptoms><autistic traits><autistic youth><autistic-like symptoms><budget impact><career aspiration><career interest><career pathway><career preparation><career readiness><career track><college><collegiate><computer-assisted instruction><computer-based education><computer-based instruction><computer-based learning><computer-based training><cost effective><cost effectiveness><depression><determine effectiveness><digital education><digital learning><eLearning><effectiveness assessment><effectiveness evaluation><effectiveness/implementation hybrid><electronic learning><enroll><evaluate effectiveness><evaluate implementation><evaluation of implementation><examine effectiveness><experience><faces><facial><faculty development><faculty professional development><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><future implementation><high school><hybrid type 1 trial><hybrid type 2 trial><hybrid type I trial><hybrid type II trial><implementation cost><implementation efforts><implementation evaluation><implementation investment><implementation outcomes><implementation process><implementation strategy><implementation/effectiveness><improved><improved outcome><innovate><innovation><innovative><instructor training><internet based delivery><internet delivered><internet delivery><internet-assisted education><internet-based training><interpersonal competence><interpersonal competency><interventional strategy><job readiness><jobless><joblessness><multimedia learning><on-line education><on-line learning><online education><online learning><out of work><pilot study><preparations><process evaluation><psychological distress><racial><racial background><racial origin><randomisation><randomization><randomized control trial><randomly assigned><recruit><rehab therapy><rehabilitative><rehabilitative therapy><remedial/special education><scaffold><scaffolding><services research><skills><social competence><social competency><social role><social skills><strategies for implementation><teacher><teacher development><technology-enhanced learning><unemployed><usability><validations><virtual><virtual learning><virtual reality><web-based instruction><web-based training><work readiness><workforce readiness><workplace readiness><youth on the autism spectrum><youth with ASD><youth with autism><youth with autism spectrum disorder>