Finger puppets could boost preterm infant development, study hopes
NCT ID NCT06335524
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether teaching parents of preterm infants to use finger puppets during play can improve their baby's development. 188 preterm babies born before 34 weeks will be split into two groups: one gets standard care plus finger puppet training, the other gets standard care alone. Researchers will measure developmental progress at 12 months using a standard questionnaire.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- finger puppet training
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that simple parent-led play with finger puppets improves developmental scores in preterm infants, offering a low-cost early intervention.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage behavioral study. The effect may be small or not clinically meaningful, and results may not apply to all preterm infants.
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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About 188 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2024
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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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1 week to 17 weeks
- 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: * inborn at UAB, delivered at less than 34 weeks' gestation, 32-39 weeks' PMA, off sedatives, and off invasive respiratory support. Exclusion Criteria: * a major malformation, a known syndrome, enrolled in a competing trial targeting neurodevelopmental outcomes as a primary outcome.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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University of Alabama at Birmingham
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35249, United States
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