Study objectives
autistic mannerism, anxiety, cognitive and behavioral inflexibility, psychiatric, executive difficulties, autistic, depression
SECONDARY, RECRUITMENT
The current pilot RCT study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of an ACT group protocol (NeuroACT) adapted for autistic adults in a psychiatric outpatient setting compared with treatment as usual (TAU). The research questions were as follows: (1) Is the study procedure and the NeuroACT protocol feasible (i.e. treatment completion, treatment credibility, data collection, and participant recruitment)? (2) What are the effects of NeuroACT on perceived stress and quality of life (primary outcomes) compared with TAU? (3) What are the effects of NeuroACT on psychiatric symptoms (i.e. depression, anxiety, and sleep problems) and functional impairment (secondary outcomes) compared with TAU? (4) What are the effects of NeuroACT on ACT-related variables (i.e. psychological inflexibility, cognitive fusion, and cognitive and behavioral avoidance (secondary outcomes)) compared with TAU? (5) How does NeuroACT affect the individual’s perception of his or her autistic core challenges, such as social motivation, social awareness, social cognition, communication, autistic mannerism (i.e. cognitive and behavioral inflexibility), and executive difficulties (secondary outcomes), compared with TAU?