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Gentle massage and calming sounds: a new bedtime ritual for autistic kids?

NCT ID NCT06386029

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 14, 2026 · Last updated Aug 14, 2026

Summary

This pilot study tests a bedtime routine called 'The Power Down' for autistic children aged 6 to 10 who have trouble settling down to sleep. The routine uses gentle massage and calming sounds to help children relax before bed. Caregivers will lead the routine each night for two weeks. The study aims to see if families find the routine practical and acceptable, and whether it helps children fall asleep more easily.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
A bedtime routine called 'The Power Down' that includes gentle massage and calming sounds to help children relax before sleep.
What this could lead to
If this routine proves helpful, it could offer families a simple, drug-free way to ease bedtime struggles for autistic children.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study, so results may not apply to all families. It focuses on whether the routine is practical and acceptable, not yet on how well it improves sleep.

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

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

About 10 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jul 2025

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

6 to 10 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show 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 Criteria: 1. Child between the ages of 6 and 10 years old (at least 40%, no more than 60% female) 2. Parent-reported autism diagnosis for child 3. Parent-reported extended and problematic settling down delay 4. Parent-reported sensory over-responsivity (a "yes" to at least 8 items in the sensory screening section of the checklist) 5. Parent willing to participate in nightly routine during the 2 week study 6. Located within the Pittsburgh area Exclusion Criteria: 1. Participants will be excluded if they do not understand English or are unable to travel to University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Western Psychiatric Hospital. 2. Children who have trauma or other histories for whom physical touch is triggering (per caregiver report) will be excluded. 3. If a child spends bedtime at a different caregiver's home for \>50% of the nights and that caregiver is not willing to participate in this study, the child will be excluded from this study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

autism Parasomnias sleep disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Autism Sleep disturbance

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Pittsburgh

    RECRUITING

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

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