Pilot randomized controlled trial of MINDful TIME, a novel telehealth mindfulness-based intervention for autistic adolescents and their caregivers.
Eight online mindfulness sessions plus an app halved parent-reported depression in autistic teens and lifted caregiver mood.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tested an 8-week telehealth program called MINDful TIME.
Autistic teens and their caregivers met in separate online groups each week.
They also used a phone app with short mindfulness practices between sessions.
The team wanted to see if this would lower teen depression and anxiety.
What they found
Parents reported big drops in teen depression scores after the eight weeks.
Girls showed medium drops in anxiety, but boys did not.
Caregivers said they felt better too.
Families liked the program and showed up to most sessions.
How this fits with other research
Santomauro et al. (2016) tried group CBT for autistic teens and saw no clear mood gain.
The new mindfulness study got large mood gains, so the method may matter more than the label.
Chan et al. (2025) ran a similar 8-week mindfulness group for parents only.
Both studies cut parent stress, but MINDful TIME also helped the teens directly.
Li et al. (2023) pooled 25 parent mindfulness trials and found medium-to-large stress cuts.
Our single study lines up with that bigger picture.
Why it matters
You can add a brief mindfulness module to your teen or parent sessions without extra travel.
Use simple app prompts to keep practice alive between meetings.
Track parent mood each week; the data show you should see change by week 4.
If the teen is female, also watch anxiety scores.
This gives you a low-cost tool that families actually use.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness-based interventions may be a valuable method for reducing internalizing symptoms in autistic individuals. The current study extends this work using an effectiveness-implementation hybrid type 1 study. In this parallel randomized controlled trial, we examined a novel telehealth intervention for autistic adolescents and their caregivers. MINDful TIME includes eight weekly group meetings and regular use of a commercially available mindfulness meditation app. Participants were 42 adolescent-parent dyads randomized to the treatment or delayed treatment control (DTC) group. The program was implemented with fidelity (91.24%-94.78%), and 90% of treatment group dyads completed the program. On average, participants attended >90% of sessions and reported high acceptability. Treatment group adolescents demonstrated statistically and clinically significant reductions in parent-reported depression symptoms relative to DTC (F(1, 34) = 7.31, p = 0.01, ηp2 = 0.18). Female adolescents in the treatment group showed significant reductions in parent-reported anxiety symptoms (F(1, 34) = 4.22, p = 0.05, ηp2 = 0.11). Exploratory analyses indicated treatment-related improvements in adolescent executive functioning, parent mindfulness and well-being, and adolescent-parent relationship dysfunction. Findings warrant future examination of MINDful TIME to address well-documented challenges with mental health in this population. This trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05685589).Lay abstractPrevious research studies have found that mindfulness (i.e. focused attention on, and acceptance of, the present moment) training programs can reduce stress, depression, and anxiety. However, more research is needed to understand whether mindfulness strategies are helpful for autistic teens. We examined a new telehealth intervention for autistic teens and their caregivers. MINDful TIME is an 8-week group program that meets weekly through Zoom meetings. Participants learn mindfulness strategies through didactic lessons and using a commercially available mindfulness meditation mobile app. We randomly assigned 42 teens (ages 13-18 years) with an autism diagnosis and their parents to complete MINDful TIME or an 8-week wait period before beginning the program. Ninety percent of teens and parents assigned to MINDful TIME completed the program and reported that they found the program to be acceptable. Teens who completed MINDful TIME showed large reductions in depression symptoms, whereas teens in the wait period group did not. Females who completed MINDful TIME also showed reductions in anxiety symptoms, whereas males who completed MINDful TIME and females and males in the wait period group did not. Parents who completed MINDful TIME with their teens showed increased mindfulness traits, well-being, and adolescent-parent relationship functioning. Findings suggest that MINDful TIME is a promising program that may improve accessibility of mindfulness strategies for autistic teens and their caregivers. Future research with a larger sample size is needed to fully understand the benefits of the program.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2025 · doi:10.1177/13623613251328484