SBIR-STTR Award

The purpose of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant proposal is to outline the steps that Danya International, Inc. (Danya), will take to develop Relationship Education for Parents of Children with Autism (REPCA,) an innovative, skill-building resource that adapts empirically based education approaches and interventions for families of children and teens ages 10 through 14 who have HFA or AS. REPCA will consist of several interrelated components that will be designed to create a cohesive and comprehensive curriculum. To ensure the success of this project, REPCA strives to meet the following objectives: 1) improve the knowledge of parents of children with HFA/AS about social development and the emergence of relationship issues; 2) provide parents with the tools and information necessary to best educate youth with HFA/AS about intimacy; 3) improve parents? perceived self-efficacy to discuss the heirarchy of social relationships with their children; and 4) provide a highly flexible, empirically based educational resource that can be easily adapted by specific user groups, such as parents, paraprofessionals within advocacy groups, or mental health professionals who work with families in groups or individual sessions. During the Phase I period, Danya will generate content for the introduction and the first chapter in the parent?s guide and corresponding video segments, and provide outlines of the remaining chapters in the workbook, facilitator?s guide, and video segments. Building on the results of the Phase I pilot study, Phase II will entail completing content for the other chapters and activities for the parent?s guide, facilitator?s guide, and filming of the remaining video scenarios and conduct an extensive outcome evaluation. This product will be relevant to the public health of the community for its potential to increase the knowledge of parents of children with HFA/AS about relationships in the context of HFA/AS; teach these parents how to communicate about relationships with their child; and supply advocates with a tool to help to educate parents of children with HFA/AS with whom they work about relationships and intimacy in the context of HFA/AS.

Thesaurus Terms:
Autism, Education Evaluation /Planning, Educational Resource Design /Development, Parent, Reproductive Development, Sex Behavior, Sex Education Child Rearing, Handbook, Parent Offspring Interaction, Videotape /Videodisc Behavioral /Social Science Research Tag, Clinical Research, Human Subject

The purpose of this Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant proposal is to outline the steps that Danya International, Inc. (Danya), will take to continue the development and evaluation of Supporting Teens with Autism on Relationships (STAR), formerly Relationship Education for Parents of Children with Autism (REPCA). STAR is an innovative, skill-building resource that adapts empirically based education approaches and interventions for parents of children and teens ages 10-18 who have high functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger syndrome (AS). A key component is a series of interactive DVDs for teens with HFA or AS to use on their own to engage and educate them on relationship skills and dating. Building on the results of the Phase I pilot study, Phase II will entail the following specific aims: Conduct formative research to inform the new interactive DVD content for teens with HFA/AS. Danya will solicit information through focus groups with professionals, parents of teens with HFA/AS, and teens with HFA/AS. In addition, we will conduct a needs assessment survey with our expert Advisory Panel. Complete STAR parent's curriculum content for the five remaining chapters and activities for the parent's guide, facilitator's guide, and filming of the parent video scenarios for each of these chapters. Develop and program content for the interactive DVDs. Conduct an extensive outcome evaluation with parents and adolescents with HFA/AS. This product will be relevant to the public health of the community for its potential to increase the knowledge of parents of children with HFA/AS about relationships in the context of HFA/AS; teach these parents how to communicate about relationships with their child; teach teens with HFA/AS concrete skills needed for developing relationships, as well as provide an opportunity for them to practice these skills; and supply advocates with a tool to help to educate parents of children with HFA/AS with whom they work about relationships and intimacy in the context of HFA/AS.

Public Health Relevance:
Danya will continue the development and evaluation of Supporting Teens with Autism on Relationships (STAR), formerly Relationship Education for Parents of Children with Autism (REPCA). STAR is an innovative, skill-building resource that adapts empirically based sexuality education approaches and interventions for parents of children and teens ages 10-18 who have high functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger syndrome (AS). A key component is a series of interactive DVDs for teens with HFA or AS to use on their own to engage and educate them on relationship skills and dating.

Thesaurus Terms:
"0-11 Years Old; 12-20 Years Old; 14 Year Old; Adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescent Youth; Advocate; Affect; Age; Anxiety; Applications Grants; Area; Asperger Syndrome; Asperger's Disorder; Autism; Autism, Early Infantile; Autism, Infantile; Autistic Disorder; Behavior; Behavioral; Book Chapters; Books; Cdc; Centers For Disease Control; Centers For Disease Control (U.S.); Centers For Disease Control And Prevention; Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (U.S.); Child; Child Development Disorders; Child Youth; Children (0-21); Communication; Communities; Computers; Cues; Curriculum; Development; Developmental Disabilities; Diagnosis; Dressing; Education; Educational Curriculum; Educational Materials; Educational Aspects; Educational Process Of Instructing; Educational Workshop; Emotions; Ensure; Evaluation; Family; Feedback; Film; Focus Groups; Friendships; General Population; General Public; Grant Proposals; Grants, Applications; Health Care Professional; Health Professional; Health Profession; Healthcare Professional; Healthcare Worker; Human, Child; Indiana; Individual; Instruction; International; Intervention; Intervention Strategies; Kanner's Syndrome; Kansas; Knowledge; Learning; Letters; Literature; Medical Center; Melissa; Mental Health; Mental Hygiene; Modeling; Mothers; Needs Assessment; Outcome; Parenting Education; Parents; Participant; Peer Pressure; Peer Review; Phase; Pilot Projects; Play; Programs (Pt); Programs [publication Type]; Protected Sex; Psychological Health; Puberty; Public Health; Publishing; Recruitment Activity; Reporting; Research; Research Resources; Research Training; Resistance; Resources; Responsible Sex; Responsible Sexual Behavior; Role; Sbir; Sbirs (R43/44); Safe Sex; Safety; Scholarship; Science Of Statistics; Self Efficacy; Self-Help Groups; Series; Sex Behavior; Sex Education; Sexual Activity; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Development; Sexuality; Small Business Innovation Research; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Statistics; Sterile Coverings; Structure; Students; Support Groups; Survey Instrument; Surveys; Teaching; Technology; Teen; Teenagers; Teens; Training; United States Centers For Disease Control; United States Centers For Disease Control And Prevention; Universities; Visual; Work; Workshop; Writing; Youth; Youth 10-21; Adolescence (12-20); Adult Youth; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Base; Boys; Children; Design; Designing; Experience; Flexibility; Fourteen Year Old; High School; Human Puberty; Improved; Innovate; Innovation; Innovative; Interpersonal Competence; Interpersonal Competency; Interventional Strategy; Intimacy; Intimate Behavior; Juvenile; Juvenile Human; Meetings; Member; Pilot Study; Product Development; Professor; Programs; Prototype; Public Health Medicine (Field); Public Health Relevance; Recruit; Resistant; Response; Self Help Organization; Sex Activity; Sex Development; Skills; Skills Training; Social; Social Competence; Social Competency; Social Role; Social Skills; Statistics; Success; Teen Years; Teenage; Tool; Young Adult; Youngster"