#  COMPASS 

 



## **Com**munication-centred **P**arent-mediated treatment for **A**utism **S**pectrum disorder in **S**outh Asia

Completed project (2018-2024).

###   


   ![COMPASS](/sites/g/files/omnuum8326/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/mentalhealthlab/files/compass.png?itok=yGEzl6m4) 

 

###   
  
  
The Aim of the Study:

  
Led by **Dr. Jonathan Green** (Chief Investigator, University of Manchester), **Dr. Vikram Patel** (Co-PI, Harvard Medical School), **Gauri Divan** (Co-I, Sangath) and **Richard Emsley** (King’s College London), COMPASS was a project focused on generating evidence for care for Autism in India, with the goal of evaluating the effectiveness of a parent-mediated intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders in South Asia, delivered by lay health workers in community settings.

In addition to the evaluation, COMPASS also investigated the cost-effectiveness of the intervention, and generated tools and evidence for policymakers to guide the scale-up of the intervention.

###   
The Background:  


Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that is present from birth and has a lifelong impact on the development of a child’s social communication and social interactions with others. Core impairments also include restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, and individuals with autism have difficulties in processing the information from the world around them. A recent study from India indicated that there are over two million families in India with a child (2-9 years) with autism.

Most treatments that are being offered to families of children with autism tend to be ‘imported’ and ‘eclectic’ – this means that they haven’t been evaluated properly in Indian settings. To meet this challenge, the team in Sangath, along with collaborators, adapted and expanded an evidence-based intervention from the UK called Preschool Autism Communication Therapy (PACT), and named it the **Parent-mediated Autism Social Communication intervention for non-Specialist Plus** (PASS Plus). PASS Plus has two parts:

 ![PASS and PASS PLUS](/sites/g/files/omnuum8326/files/mentalhealthlab/files/mhfal_website_imgs_1_01.jpg)

 



 

The novel elements of this intervention is that it has a training and competency curriculum which has been designed to skill up lay health workers to deliver this intervention at homes of families. The PASS and the expanded PASS Plus interventions were evaluated with families having a child with Autism in Goa (2012-2014) and Kolhapur (2014-16) respectively, through pilot randomized controlled trials. Both interventions have shown a high level of acceptability and feasibility along with indications of effectiveness.

### The Project Plan:

  
COMPASS conducted a definitive trial of PASS Plus by recruiting 261 families with a child with autism aged 2 to 9 years through two tertiary care hospitals in New Delhi: Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. ASHA workers delivered 12 sessions over 6 to 8 months to caregivers, integrating additional support for autism-related challenges, including anxiety and sensory-seeking behaviors.



 

 ### Assessment Sessions

 

   ![compass_assessment](/sites/g/files/omnuum8326/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/mentalhealthlab/files/compass_assessment.png?itok=m6x8-ShH) 

 

 

 

 ### Counselor Session Delivery

 

   ![compass_conselor_session](/sites/g/files/omnuum8326/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/mentalhealthlab/files/compass_conselor_session.png?itok=oKAsbrt1) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

### Supporters and Project Duration:

  
COMPASS was funded by the **Medical Research Council** (MRC) in the UK and ran from 2018 to 2024.

For more information, visit: [COMPASS | Sangath](https://www.sangath.in/projects/compass)


### Publications: 

- October 2023: [A randomised controlled trial of clinical and cost-effectiveness of the PASS Plus intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder in New Delhi, India: study protocol for the COMPASS trial](https://drive.google.com/file/d/17m065eryEZn985Qz49pN_5qNhmrNXCT9/view?usp=sharing)



 

##  Investigators and Team Members: 

 



 
 **Prof Jonathan Green**  
Chief Investigator, University of Manchester

 **Prof Vikram Patel**  
Principle Investigator, Harvard Medical School

 **Dr. Gauri Divan**  
Co-Investigator, Sangath

 **Prof Richard Emsley**  
Kings College London



 

 
 **Dr. Sheffali Gulati**  
Site Investigator, All India Institute of Medical Sciences

 **Dr. Monica Juneja**  
Site Investigator, MAMC and Lok Nayak Hospital

 **R.Roy**  
Trial Director, Sangath

 **Dr. Kathy Leadbitter**  
Trial Coordinator, University of Manchester



 

  

 

 

 

##  Latest Lab News 

 



  [### Publication: Breaking the Cycle - How Maternal Adversity Shapes Parenting Among Adolescent Mothers in Brazil

 ](/news/2026/05/publication-breaking-cycle-how-maternal-adversity-shapes-parenting-among-adolescent) May 12, 2026 

 This publication explores how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intimate partner violence (IPV) shape parenting behaviors among adolescent mothers in Brazil. Drawing on data from 237 mothers aged 14-19 in southern Brazil's public primary care... 

 

  [Anushka Patel](/people/anushka-patel-phd)

 

   [### Announcement: Welcoming Visiting Associate Professor Konstanze Schoeps

 ](/news/2026/04/announcement-welcoming-visiting-associate-professor-konstanze-schoeps) April 11, 2026 

 We are delighted to welcome Dr. Konstanze Schoeps , Associate Professor at the University of Valencia and licensed General Health Psychologist, to the Mental Health for All Lab (MHFAL) with Dr. Vikram Patel . She was recently awarded a Real Colegio... 

 

 

  

 

 [ More arrow\_circle\_right ](/news)