Virtual coaching for parents may boost social skills in kids with autism
NCT ID NCT05176808
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study compares online parent coaching to in-person coaching for improving social communication in toddlers with autism or social communication delays. About 188 children aged 18-33 months will take part. Parents learn techniques to engage their child during play, aiming to increase joint attention and interaction. The goal is to see if telehealth coaching works just as well as in-person sessions.
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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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117 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2022
- Finished
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Apr 2026
- 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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18 to 42 months
- 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: * Meeting study criteria for ASD based on: * Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule(ADOS) criteria for mild-to- moderate concern or greater (for children between 18 and 30 months) or algorithm cut-offs for ASD or autism (31-33 months), * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5)( criteria for ASD) * ASD diagnosis by clinician (clinical best estimate) by study team clinical research experts * Meeting study criteria for social communication delay based on: * Scoring a T score of \<35 on Expressive Language and/or Receptive Language subscales, Nonverbal developmental quotient of \> 50 (Visual Reception and Fine Motor subscales averaged) AND Visual reception \> 12 months * Nonverbal developmental quotient (DQ) of \> 63 based on the Visual Reception and Fine Motor subscales * Gestational age of 36-42 weeks; * Birth weight of \> 2,500 grams; * Absence of identifiable neurological (e.g., epilepsy), genetic (e.g., Down syndrome, fragile X, tuberose sclerosis, neurofibromatosis) or severe sensory- motor (e.g., cerebral palsy) conditions. * Able to walk independently. * Children must produce at least three different types of intentional directed (with eye contact or pairing vocalization and gesture) nonverbal or verbal communicative acts per day, with clear and specific examples, per parent report in the Eligibility Interview. Exclusion Criteria: * Having a primary language other than English * Family lives \>40 miles from a Kennedy Krieger Institute-Center for Autism Services, Sciences, and Innovation (CASSI) site. * Child lives in foster care.
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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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Kennedy Krieger Institute
Baltimore, Maryland, 21211, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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