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Caregiver Training to Support Children With Social Communication Challenges

NCT06909279 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 72

Last updated 2025-05-11

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

"More Than Words® - The Hanen Program® for Parents of Autistic Children or Children Who May Benefit from Social Communication Support" is a family-focused intervention program delivered by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). The goal of More Than Words is to empower parents to be the main facilitator of their child's social communication development, which increases the child's opportunities to develop social communication skills in everyday situations. It is one of the programs offered to families who receive services from Ontario's Preschool Speech and Language program, although some regions are not able to offer it at all or are only able to offer a shortened version of the program. The Hanen Centre recently made updates to the More Than Words program to allow it to be delivered virtually (online) and to align with the latest evidence.

Past research has found some evidence that the More Than Words program is effective, but knowledge is needed about the latest version of the program, including how effective it is when delivered online. It is important to understand who this program works best for and why. The purpose of the current study, called a pilot study, is to test a study plan that could be used in a future large study to answer these questions.

In this pilot study, the investigators will test procedures for comparing the outcomes of families who receive the More Than Words program to families who have not yet received it. Additionally, procedures for understanding varying responses to treatment will be tested. The study aims to determine whether the methods used for recruiting families, delivering the program, and monitoring progress are practical and function as expected in preparation for the future large-scale study.

Conditions

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

The Hanen Centre's More Than Words® program

The Hanen Centre's More Than Words® program is a globally used, parent coaching intervention delivered by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to parents of children who have social communication challenges, which includes children with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of autism. The training program is designed to provide parents with the tools, strategies, and support they need to help their children reach their full communication and social interaction potential.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • The Hanen Centre, Toronto

    collaborator UNKNOWN

  • Western University, Canada

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Max Age
47 Months
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-05-06
Primary Completion
2026-04-30
Completion
2026-07-31

Countries

  • Canada

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 NCT06909279 on ClinicalTrials.gov