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Randomized controlled effectiveness trial of executive function intervention for children on the autism spectrum . BACKGROUND Unstuck and On Target ( UOT ) is an executive function ( EF ) intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) targeting insistence on sameness , flexibility , goal-setting , and planning through a cognitive-behavioral program of self-regulatory scripts , guided/faded practice , and visual/verbal cueing . UOT is contextually-based because it is implemented in school and at home , the contexts in which a child uses EF skills . METHODS To evaluate the effectiveness of UOT compared with a social skills intervention ( SS ) , 3rd-5th graders with ASD ( mean IQ = 108 ; UOT n = 47 ; SS n = 20 ) received interventions delivered by school staff in small group sessions . Students were matched for gender , age , race , IQ , ASD symptomotolgy , medication status , and parents ' education . Interventions were matched for 'dose ' of intervention and training . Measures of pre-post change included classroom observations , parent/teacher report , and direct child measures of problem-solving , EF , and social skills . Schools were randomized and evaluators , but not parents or teachers , were blinded to intervention type . RESULTS Interventions were administered with high fidelity . Children in both groups improved with intervention , but mean change scores from pre- to postintervention indicated significantly greater improvements for UOT than SS groups in : problem-solving , flexibility , and planning/organizing . Also , classroom observations revealed that participants in UOT made greater improvements than SS participants in their ability to follow rules , make transitions , and be flexible . Children in both groups made equivalent improvements in social skills . CONCLUSIONS These data support the effectiveness of the first contextually-based EF intervention for children with ASD . UOT improved classroom behavior , flexibility , and problem-solving in children with ASD . Individuals with variable background/training in ASD successfully implemented UOT in mainstream educational settings .
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Intervention_Educational
executive function intervention
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Intervention_Educational
Unstuck and On Target ( UOT )
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Intervention_Educational
executive function ( EF ) intervention
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Intervention_Educational
UOT
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Intervention_Educational
UOT
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Intervention_Educational
social skills intervention ( SS )
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Outcome_Mental
included classroom observations , parent/teacher report , and direct child measures of problem-solving , EF , and social skills
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Outcome_Mental
groups in : problem-solving , flexibility , and planning/organizing
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Outcome_Mental
improvements in social skills
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Participant_Condition
autism spectrum .
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Participant_Age
children
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Participant_Age
3rd-5th graders
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Participant_Sample-size
n = 20
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Participant_Age
Students
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Participant_Age
children
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Participant_Age
children