Where's best for autism therapy? home or center? new study aims to find out.
NCT ID NCT04899544
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a 16-week behavioral therapy called Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) works better when done at a center or at home for young children with autism who have language delays. Researchers will compare both groups to children receiving usual care. The goal is to see which setting helps improve social communication and language skills.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), a behavioral therapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that one setting (center or home) is more effective for improving communication in young children with autism.
- What could go wrong
- This is a behavioral intervention trial, not a drug or cure. Results may vary by child, and the study is relatively small (120 participants), so findings may not apply to all.
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 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2022
- Expected to finish
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Sep 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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2 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.
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 Criteria: * Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) or Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition (CARS-2), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition (DSM-5), and expert clinical opinion; * Boys and girls between 2.0 and 5.11 years; * Ability to participate in the testing procedures to the extent that valid standard scores can be obtained; * Language delay as measured by the Preschool Language Scale, 5th Edition (PLS-5): Standard score at least 1 standard deviation below average for expressive language ability for 2 and 3 year olds; 2 standard deviations for 4 year olds, and 3 standard deviations for 5 year olds; * Stable treatment (e.g., Applied Behavior Analysis - ABA), speech therapy, school placement, psychotropic medication(s) or biomedical intervention(s) for at least 1 month prior to baseline measurements; * No anticipated changes on treatment during study participation for Center-Based Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT-C) and In-Home Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT-H); * No more than 60 minutes of individual 1:1 speech therapy per week; * Availability of at least one parent or primary caregiver who can consistently participate in parent training and research measures. Exclusion Criteria: * Current or lifetime diagnosis of severe psychiatric disorder (e.g., bipolar disorder, etc.); * Receiving ABA of 15 hours or more; * Presence of active medical problem (e.g., unstable seizure disorder or heart disease); * Previous adequate Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) trial; * Participants living more than 30 miles from Stanford University; * Child's primary language other than English.
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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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Stanford University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGStanford, California, 94305, United States
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