Can play therapy boost talking in kids with autism? new study tests measurement tools
NCT ID NCT04146428
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested JASPER, a play-based therapy for autism, in 84 toddlers aged 18 months to 5 years. Children were randomly assigned to receive JASPER from a clinician or their parent. The goal was to see if two new measurement tools (BOSCC and ELSA-T) could track changes in social communication and language. The study focused on improving how we measure progress, not on finding a cure.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- JASPER (a play-based behavioral therapy)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide better ways to measure social communication changes in young children with autism, helping future therapy trials.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study focused on measurement tools, not a treatment trial. The results may not apply to all children with autism.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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84 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2021
- Finished
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Oct 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 months to 5 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Minimally verbal children eligible for the ADOS Toddler Module or Module 1 (pre or minimally verbal) or those who have emerging phrases who may receive Module 2 (phrase speech) will be enrolled. The sample will be limited to children with confirmed diagnosis and nonverbal mental ages greater than or equal to 12 months. The child must be 18 months and 5 years of age. Exclusion Criteria: * Children that do not have a mental age greater than or equal to 12 months, don't have a confirmed diagnosis, are under the age of 18 months and older than 5 years of age.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
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Semel Institute
Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States
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UCLA
Los Angeles, California, 90095-1406, United States
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Weill Cornell Medical College/New York Presbyterian Hospital
White Plains, New York, 10605, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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