Remote Assessment and Intervention for Behavior Problems in Kids With TSC

Summary

The RAINBOW study is a fully remote study focused on understanding and treating behavior problems in young children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). The first goal is to enroll a group of 100 children with TSC between the ages of 3 and 6 years old, with and without problem behaviors, to learn about how best to measure behavioral challenges in TSC and how common these behaviors are during this age period. All families will get feedback from the clinical assessments collected. Eligible children who are experiencing behavior problems will be invited to enroll in a pilot clinical trial of internet-based Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (or PCIT), which is meant to help parents better manage their children's challenging behaviors. Adaptations to PCIT are incorporated to suit the needs of TSC children and families. Some participants will be randomly selected to receive the intervention immediately and others after a 6-month delay, but all families will receive the same intervention. Intervention sessions occur on a weekly basis for up to 20 weeks. Follow-up assessments, which include play interactions, parent interviews, and questionnaires occur about 3 and 6 months after the first visit. The delayed treatment group has an extra brief assessment about 12 months from the initial visit. This study will increase what is known about the types of behavior problems that come up during preschool age in TSC and how best to help children and families with TSC who are experiencing these problems.

Conditions

• Tuberous Sclerosis

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

PCIT is a dyadic therapy that focuses on enhancing the parent-child relationship and improving child behavior through positive parenting and limit setting skills. All PCIT sessions are delivered remotely via Zoom once per week for up to 20 weeks. Session length is about 1 hour. There are two distinct phases of PCIT, the Child Directed Interaction and the Parent Directed Interaction. Each phase begins with a Teach session, where parents learn about the skills they will practice during that portion of PCIT, and is followed by Coach sessions, in which the PCIT therapist provides direct feedback and live coaching on the use of the skills. An additional component is Daily Play practice. Parents are instructed to spend five minutes per day playing with their child, during which they practice skills learned during sessions. Adaptations have been made to the standard approach to increase suitability for the TSC population.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• United States Department of Defense

  collaborator FED

• University of California, Los Angeles

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Nicole McDonald, PhD · University of California, Los Angeles

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

3 Years

Max Age

6 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-08-01

Primary Completion

2025-12-04

Completion

2025-12-04

Countries

• United States

Study Locations