# Examining the active ingredients of consultation to improve implementation of a parent-mediated intervention for children with autism in the community mental health system.

> **NIH NIH F31** · MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $39,015

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability that affects 1 in 54 children in the
United States. Many evidence-based interventions have been developed that improve child outcomes for
children with ASD. Yet there is a 17-year research-to-practice gap in which evidence-based practices (EBPs)
developed in laboratory settings finally reach community settings. Consultation models are typically comprised
of multiple components, which may differentially influence provider behavior. This single-case experimental
design will experimentally manipulate three potential active ingredients of a consultation model (feedback on
taped sessions, case support, and skill rehearsal) in 4 applied behavior analysis (ABA) agencies in order to
identify potential active ingredients of the consultation model. Consultation will focus on telehealth delivery of
an empirically supported manualized parent-mediated intervention for children with ASD (Project ImPACT).
Groups of 3-5 providers will be recruited from 4 agencies (N = ~20 providers in total) that contract with regional
community mental health agencies within the Michigan Medicaid Autism Benefit, which provides applied
behavior analysis services to Medicaid-enrolled youth with ASD. Providers will complete a self-directed online
tutorial on Project ImPACT. Each provider will enroll at least one caregiver on their caseload who has a child
enrolled in the Michigan Medicaid Autism Benefit (N = ~20 caregivers). Next, each agency will be randomly
assigned to a) the length of the baseline period (between 3-6 weeks) and b) the order that they will receive the
consultation components. Providers will record one session per week with their enrolled family and submit it via
a HIPAA compliant Dropbox link. They will also complete weekly online questionnaires on implementation
outcomes. Implementation outcomes will be assessed via observational coding of weekly sessions for
treatment adherence and competence, and analysis of weekly provider questionnaires regarding case
penetration, and feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness of Project ImPACT and each of the 3
consultation phases. Providers will submit a final recorded session and questionnaire 8-weeks post-
consultation. Caregivers will complete a measure of social communication for their child via online
questionnaire at baseline, twice during consultation, and after 8 weeks post-consultation. Data analysis
includes multilevel modeling and visual analysis. Results will identify active ingredients of the consultation
model which will later be used to develop a causal model of the mechanism by which consultation improves
implementation outcomes. The training plan consists of mentorship, courses, workshops, and experiential
learning and will develop expertise in efficacy and implementation research within the autism field.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10469331
- **Project number:** 5F31MH127814-02
- **Recipient organization:** MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Diondra Straiton
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $39,015
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-16 → 2023-07-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10469331

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10469331, Examining the active ingredients of consultation to improve implementation of a parent-mediated intervention for children with autism in the community mental health system. (5F31MH127814-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10469331. Licensed CC0.

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