Overview
The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether a smartphone-based data collection and feedback application ("Footsteps") improves the quality of behavioral data collected by one-to-one aides and leads to better youth mental health outcomes in school-aged youth (ages 4-17) who receive one-to-one support in schools.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Does the Footsteps app improve aides' data collection quality (i.e., consistency, timeliness, and completeness)?
- Does Footsteps use lead to improved youth behavioral health outcomes (e.g., SDQ, YTP scores)?
- Does Footsteps improve communication and supervision processes between aides and clinical supervisors?
Researchers will compare aides using Footsteps to those using a "data collection only" control app to see if Footsteps leads to higher quality data collection, enhanced supervisory communication, and better youth outcomes.
Participants will:
- Use either Footsteps or a control app to record de-identified data on one client's behaviors and skills over 12 weeks
- Complete biweekly online surveys about data collection experiences, youth progress, and aide-supervisor communication
- Participate in a virtual intake and post-trial meeting
- (For a subset) Participate in a 30-45 minute qualitative interview about their experience using the app
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Aides must be working with at least one client in school who meets the following criteria: 1) between 3-17 years, 2) has a diagnosis associated with a challenging behavior (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder) as indicated on their treatment plan, and 3) receiving 1:1 aide support.
- Supervisors must be employed by a community behavior health agency and supervise a participating aide. The investigators will recruit supervisors in dyads and not triads (i.e., no supervisors with two \[or more\] aides) to ensure there are 30 supervisor-aide dyads in total).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Aides who participated in the pilot trial of the Footsteps will be excluded from participating to recruit a sample naïve to Footsteps and the control app.
