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Comprehensive Communication Intervention for Minimally Verbal Children With Autism

NCT02291172 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 74

Last updated 2018-07-12

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Overview The goal of Comprehensive Communication Intervention for Minimally Verbal Children with Autism is to conduct an efficacy study of a promising intervention to increase spoken language in preschool children who are minimally verbal. The proposed study compares a comprehensive communication intervention (JASP- EMT Plus; JEP) to a business as usual (BAU) control group in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) across 4 time points. The study replicates and extends procedures used by Kasari, Kaiser et al (2014) to successfully promote social communication in older minimally verbal children. Intervention components include: (1) Joint Attention, Structured Play, Engagement and Regulation and Enhanced Milieu Teaching (JASP- EMT), (2) applied with systematic parent training, (3) use of speech generating device (SGD) and (4) supplementary direct teaching of foundational skills for language learning as indicated by child entry skills (CORE-DTT; Smith, 2009). Children who remain minimally verbal beyond age 5 are at high risk for persistent, severe communication deficits that impact social development, educational achievement and quality of life (Tager-Flusberg \& Kasari, 2013). Thus, there is an urgent need for effective strategies to promote communication development during the preschool years to ameliorate early communication deficits and prevent persistent minimally verbal status. This study aims to change social communication in minimally verbal preschool children with ASD by applying a naturalistic social communication intervention which teaches the social foundations of communication and functional use of verbal language in play and interaction. In addition, the intervention addresses three factors that may contribute to remaining minimally verbal: lack of an effective mode of speech production, lack of foundational skills for learning language (receptive language, imitation, joint attention), and lack of communication partners to support continued language learning in natural environments.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Intervention JEP

A blend of JASP-EMT using SGDs with parent training intervention with the addition of individualized DTT to teach receptive language, imitation, and joint attention when children lack these skills at entry.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Vanderbilt University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
36 Months
Max Age
54 Months
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2014-09-30
Primary Completion
2017-12-31
Completion
2018-03-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT02291172 on ClinicalTrials.gov