COMPASS (COMPASS- Longitudinal follow up)

Overview

COMPASS (Communication-centred Parent-mediated Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder in South Asia) is the largest randomized controlled trial for autism conducted in a low- and middle-income country. It evaluates the effectiveness of the PASS Plus home-based, parent-mediated intervention delivered by non- specialists across 11 districts of Delhi. The original trial generated evidence on key child outcomes, including social communication and adaptive functioning, while establishing scalable models of care for low-resource settings.

Building directly on this foundational work, the COMPASS-Longitudinal Follow-up (COMPASS-LF) study re-engages participating families to assess the long-term impact of the PASS Plus intervention, focusing on sustained changes in child development and functional outcomes over time.

Rationale

While parent-mediated interventions have demonstrated clear effectiveness for autism in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), long-term data on developmental trajectories, changing family needs, and subsequent service utilization remains limited. The landmark COMPASS trial, the largest randomized controlled trial for autism in an LMIC setting- previously established that the PASS Plus intervention, delivered by non-specialists, is both feasible and scalable within routine public health systems. The COMPASS-Longitudinal Follow-up (COMPASS-LF) study directly addresses the existing evidence gap by re-engaging the original cohort to examine long-term developmental outcomes over time, aiming to inform policy and service planning for sustainable, scalable autism care in low-resource settings.

Partners

• The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

• Department of Global Health and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

• Delhi State Health Mission, Delhi, India

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

• Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India

• Kings College, London, UK

Collaborators

• Dr. Sheffali Gulati (Co-Investigator), Professor, Faculty In-charge, Child Neurology Division, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (India)

• Dr. Monica Juneja (Co-Investigator), Professor, In-charge, Child Development Centre, Department of Paediatrics, Lok Nayak Hospital (India)