Randomized Trial of Parent Training for Young Children With Autism

Summary

The purpose of this 24 week study is to determine whether a new Parent Training program is effective in reducing disruptive behaviors in young children with pervasive developmental disorders.

Conditions

• Child Development Disorders, Pervasive

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Parent Training

The Parent Training program will be delivered individually to the parents of study participants. Families will attend up to 13 90-minute treatment sessions over a 24-week period. Topics covered in the program include reinforcement, teaching compliance, and functional communication. The treatment sessions employ direct instruction, review of video-taped examples, practice activities, behavior rehearsal with feedback, and role-playing to accomplish specific skill acquisition. Parents will be given specific homework assignments between sessions.

OTHER

Psychoeducational Program

The Psychoeducational program will be delivered individually to the parents of study participants. Families will attend up to 13 90-minute informational sessions over a 24-week period. The program provides an overview on a variety of topics including the complexities of a PDD diagnosis, co-occurring medical conditions, relevant aspects of child development, use of medications, treatment options for challenging behavior, nutritional issues, and complementary and alternative treatments.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Emory University

  collaborator OTHER

• Indiana University

  collaborator OTHER

• Ohio State University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Pittsburgh

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Rochester

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• Yale University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Lawrence Scahill, MSN, PhD · Emory University

• Cynthia Johnson, PhD · University of Pittsburgh

• Tristram Smith, PhD · University of Rochester

• Luc Lecavalier, PhD · Ohio State University

• Naomi Swiezy, PhD · Indiana University

• Denis Sukhodolsky, PhD · Yale University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

3 Years

Max Age

7 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2010-09-30

Primary Completion

2014-09-30

Completion

2015-03-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations