Project AFECT (Autism Family Empowerment Coaching and Training Program)

Description

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the journey of families after their child's diagnosis of autism and to help parents understand autism and get the right treatments for their child. This study is for parents of children just diagnosed with autism who are: * Age greater than 1 and up to 5 years old; * Hispanic/Latino OR Black/African-American OR have Medi-Cal as primary health insurance; AND * Live in one of the following counties in California (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Whether parent coaching through Project AFECT leads to decreased parental stress and increased parental confidence; * Whether family navigation through Project AFECT leads to increased number of referrals to early intervention and educational services and reduced wait times to autism treatments; * Whether children whose parents receive Project AFECT intervention show increased language skills compared to children whose parents did not receive intervention. Participants will be asked to: * Complete surveys at enrollment and 3 and 6 months later. * Work with Project AFECT Coach. Researchers will compare control and intervention groups to see if Project AFECT leads to improved parent and child outcomes.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Autistic Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Autistic Disorders Spectrum

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the journey of families after their child's diagnosis of autism and to help parents understand autism and get the right treatments for their child. This study is for parents of children just diagnosed with autism who are: * Age greater than 1 and up to 5 years old; * Hispanic/Latino OR Black/African-American OR have Medi-Cal as primary health insurance; AND * Live in one of the following counties in California (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Whether parent coaching through Project AFECT leads to decreased parental stress and increased parental confidence; * Whether family navigation through Project AFECT leads to increased number of referrals to early intervention and educational services and reduced wait times to autism treatments; * Whether children whose parents receive Project AFECT intervention show increased language skills compared to children whose parents did not receive intervention. Participants will be asked to: * Complete surveys at enrollment and 3 and 6 months later. * Work with Project AFECT Coach. Researchers will compare control and intervention groups to see if Project AFECT leads to improved parent and child outcomes.

Autism Family Empowerment Coaching and Training Program (AFECT): Evaluating a Parent Coaching and Family Navigation Program for New Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis

Project AFECT (Autism Family Empowerment Coaching and Training Program)

Condition
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Atherton

Gardner Packard Children's Health Center, Atherton, California, United States, 94027

Sunnyvale

Stanford Medicine Children's Health, Sunnyvale, California, United States, 94087

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • 1. Parents of children just diagnosed with autism (with or without other diagnoses) who are:
  • 1. Age greater than 1 and up to 5 years old;
  • 2. Hispanic/Latino OR Black/African-American OR have Medi-Cal as primary health insurance; AND
  • 3. Live in one of the following counties in California (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma).
  • * Non-legal guardians or foster parents who provide care to children newly diagnosed with autism.
  • * Parents of children without diagnosis of autism.

Ages Eligible for Study

12 Months to 60 Months

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Stanford University,

Heidi Feldman, MD, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Stanford University

Study Record Dates

2026-06-30