Can parent training boost Kids' language? study investigates
NCT ID NCT03525951
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study explores how parents' own language skills influence the quality of early language interactions with their children, especially those with language delays or autism. Researchers trained 156 parents using a program called Enhanced Milieu Teaching, which teaches responsive interaction and language modeling. The goal is to identify which parents benefit most from training, so future interventions can be more effective.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Enhanced Milieu Teaching (parent training program)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this research could help tailor parent training to improve language outcomes for children with delays or autism.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial, so it won't directly test a cure or therapy. Results may not apply to all families.
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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156 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2021
- Finished
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Sep 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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30 months and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion - Parents * Live in a Pennsylvania or New Jersey zip code that is within a 30-mile radius of Weiss Hall at Temple University (STUDY 1) or live in Wisconsin (STUDY 2). * Have access to the internet and willingness to videoconference (STUDY 1 AND 2) a. If a family does not have an adequate digital device (e.g., smartphone only) to videoconference and complete testing, we might lend them a device. * 18 or older (STUDY 1 AND 2) * Be an adult parent able to consent for the child to participate in the study (parents in this study can include any caregiver who meets these criteria) (STUDY 1 AND 2) * English dominant (at least 80%) (STUDY 1 AND 2) * Have no self-reported diagnosed hearing loss (or no concerns if they have not been tested) (STUDY 1 AND 2). * Have no reported disabling developmental or acquired disorders or impairments that might significantly affect their performance beyond autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or speech-language disorders (e.g., legal blindness, Down Syndrome, traumatic head injury, stroke) (STUDY 1 AND 2). Inclusion - Children, Typically Developing Group (TD) (Study 1 and 2) * age 1 year 4 months - 1 year 8 months 30 days at the start of testing * English dominant (at least 80%) * No parent-reported diagnosed hearing loss (or no concerns if the child has not been tested). * Have typical language abilities as evidenced by meeting two criteria: 1. Score above the 10th percentile on the Mac Arthur Communicative Development Inventories-Words and Sentences (CDI-WS; long form) Complexity section using sex-specific norms. 2. Score above the 10th percentile on the CDI-WS (long form) Words Produced using sex-specific norms * Meet cognitive inclusion criteria: Score greater than or equal to 81.25 standard score (-1.25 SD) on the Cognition subtest of the DAYC-2 * Have no parent reported disabling developmental or acquired disorders/impairments that might significantly affect their performance including speech- language disorders (e.g., ASD, DLD, cancer, stroke, legal blindness, intellectual disability, Down Syndrome, traumatic head injury, cerebral palsy, seizures, or a genetic condition associated with neurodevelopmental disability). * Pass the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised with Follow-Up screener Inclusion - Children, DLD Group (study 1 and 2) * age 2 years 6 months - 4 years 0 months 0 days at the start of testing * English dominant (at least 80%) * No parent-reported diagnosed hearing loss (or no concerns if the child has not been tested). * Qualify as at risk for persistent language disorder by meeting two criteria: 1. Score at or below the 10th percentile on the Mac Arthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory-III (CDI-III) Sentences section using sex-specific norms. For children over 37 mos., score must be less than or equal to the 10th percentile equivalent for 37 mos. 2. Score at or below the 10th percentile on the CDI-III Vocabulary section using sex-specific norms. For children over 37 mos., score must be less than or equal to the 10th percentile equivalent for 37 mos. The child must also produce at least 10 different words on either the CDI-III or CDI-Words and Sentences (CDI-WS long form). * Meet cognitive inclusion criteria: Score greater than or equal to 70 standard score (-2 SD) on the Cognition subtest of the DAYC-2 (Voress et al., 2012). * Have no parent reported disabling developmental or acquired disorders/impairments that might significantly affect their performance beyond speech- language disorders (e.g., ASD, cancer, stroke, legal blindness, intellectual disability, Down Syndrome, traumatic head injury, cerebral palsy, seizures, or a genetic condition associated with neurodevelopmental disability other than DLD). * Pass the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised with Follow-Up screener Inclusion - Children, DLD+ASD Group (STUDY 2) * 2 years 6 months - 4 years 0 months 0 days at the start of testing * English dominant (at least 80%) * No parent-reported diagnosed hearing loss (or no concerns if the child has not been tested). * Have received ASD diagnosis from a healthcare professional prior to beginning the study. * Qualify as at risk for persistent language disorder by meeting two criteria: 1. Score at or below the 10th percentile on the Mac Arthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory-III (CDI-III) Sentences section using sex-specific norms. For children over 37 mos., score must be less than or equal to the 10th percentile equivalent for 37 mos. 2. Score at or below the 10th percentile on the CDI-III Vocabulary section using sex-specific norms. For children over 37 mos., score must be less than or equal to the 10th percentile equivalent for 37 mos. The child must also produce at least 10 different words on either the CDI-III or CDI-Words and Sentences (CDI-WS long form). * Meet cognitive inclusion criteria: Score greater than or equal to 70 standard score (-2 SD) on the Cognition subtest of the DAYC-2 (Voress et al., 2012). * Have no parent reported disabling developmental or acquired disorders/impairments that might significantly affect their performance beyond speech-language disorders or ASD (e.g., cancer, stroke, legal blindness, intellectual disability, Down Syndrome, traumatic head injury, cerebral palsy, seizures, or a genetic condition associated with neurodevelopmental disability other than ASD/DLD).
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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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University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin, 53705, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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