Adapting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Tools to Autistic Youth: A School-Based Approach to Promote Mental Health (ACT for youth)

Project Background and Summary

For the past 40 years, Giant Steps has been working to enhance accessibility and inclusion for autistic individuals and their families. In partnership with CAMH, the organization developed an Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) program for caregivers of autistic individuals—an approach rooted in acceptance, mindfulness, and values-based action.

Building on this experience, Giant Steps staff and educators have identified the need for similar interventions adapted specifically for autistic students, so they can be integrated into the school environment and shared across broader school board networks. ACT is particularly well suited for this purpose, as it is evidence‑based, transdiagnostic, and effective in group settings. It has also been successfully adapted for typically developing children and adolescents and has been shown to reduce emotional distress among autistic students.

There is currently an urgent need for adapted, evidence-based mental health tools for autistic youth with intellectual and/or communication challenges. Approximately 70% of autistic individuals experience co‑occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression, yet they face major barriers to care—communication limitations, cognitive differences, and a shortage of trained professionals. School is often the most stressful environment for autistic youth, impacting their well‑being and participation. Integrating mental health tools into daily school routines is therefore essential to support inclusion, reduce behavioral challenges, and increase meaningful learning opportunities.

The central problem is that existing mental health tools are not suited to the cognitive and communication characteristics of autistic students, nor are they designed for classroom use. Educators thus lack accessible, developmentally appropriate tools that can be feasibly implemented in their practice.

Objectives

This project has two main objectives:

1. Co‑develop and adapt ACT exercises by working closely with autistic students and educators to ensure the exercises are relevant, accessible, and suitable for school settings.
2. Pilot the adapted ACT exercises with five student‑educator dyads to assess feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy.

Expected Deliverables

Three primary deliverables will be produced:

• Co‑developed ACT exercises adapted for Giant Steps students and the school environment.
• Experiential ACT training sessions for Giant Steps educators.
• A bilingual, open‑access ACT digital toolbox, complemented by knowledge‑sharing and dissemination activities.

Anticipated Results / Expected Outcomes

This project will enable autistic students to develop skills in emotional self‑regulation, mindfulness, and stress management. The five students participating in the pilot sessions will directly benefit from exercises tailored to their needs, while their paired educators will receive training to effectively support them.

Beyond the pilot, trained educators will be able to implement ACT tools with all 60 students in this age group at Giant Steps. In the longer term, the impact will extend to future cohorts, as internal capacity is strengthened and sustained within the school.

The bilingual ACT toolbox will also support broader dissemination by making adapted tools accessible to other schools, school boards, and community partners. Webinars, resource sharing, and scientific publications will facilitate the adoption of inclusive, evidence‑based mental health practices. Over time, these efforts are expected to benefit hundreds of autistic students by improving access to adapted mental health supports.

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