Can 'Treatment Signals' stop aggression relapse in kids?
NCT ID NCT04045600
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether adding visual signals and gradually introducing real-life materials can help children with severe aggression or self-injury maintain progress after communication training. The 24 participants, ages 3 to 17, will be observed in different settings to see if the improved training reduces relapse when routines change or caregivers are distracted.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- behavioral intervention (functional communication training with discriminative stimuli)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to more durable treatments for severe behavior problems that work outside the clinic.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage behavioral study with only 24 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The intervention is complex and may not translate easily to real-world settings.
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 24 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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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3 to 17 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: * Boys and girls from ages 3 to 17 * Destructive behavior that occurs at least 10 times a day despite previous treatment * Destructive behavior reinforced by social consequences like attention (FCT is not appropriate for automatically reinforced destructive behavior) * On a stable psychoactive drug regimen for at least 10 half-lives per drug or drug free * Stable educational plan and placement with no anticipated changes during the child's treatment Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who do not meet the inclusion criteria * Patients currently receiving 15 or more hours per week of treatment for their destructive behavior * DSM-5 diagnosis of Rett syndrome or other degenerative conditions (e.g., inborn error of metabolism) * A comorbid health condition or major mental disorder that would interfere with study participation * Occurrence of SIB during study assessments that presents a risk of serious or permanent harm (e.g., detached retinas) based on our routine clinical-risk assessment * Patients requiring drug-treatment changes, but the experimenters will invite these patients to participate if they meet inclusion criteria after drug regimen is stable.
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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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Children's Specialized Hospital - Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services
RECRUITINGSomerset, New Jersey, 00873, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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