Social Motivation Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Improving Peer Initiation

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a social initiation motivation intervention (SIMI) focused on training children with ASD to initiate to peers during structured play activities will result in more frequent initiations to typically developing peers during free play. The SIMI approach under investigation uses behavioral strategies based in Applied Behavior Analysis and Pivotal Response Treatment to motivate children with ASD to initiate to peers. Children with ASD will be randomly assigned to either the SIMI or a waiting list. Treatment will be provided for 8 weeks in the context of a weekly social skills group.

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Key information

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Mental Disorders Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Age range

4 year–6 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Stanford University

Stanford, California, 94305, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

age 4.0 to 6.11 years;
diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
without intellectual disability
stable community treatments four weeks before and throughout the trial.

Exclusion criteria

diagnosed severe psychiatric or genetic disorder or medical problem;
severe disruptive behavior that would interfere with peer interactions

Treatment and study plan

Social Initiation Motivation Intervention

Behavioral

The SIMI approach under investigation uses behavioral strategies based in Applied Behavior Analysis and Pivotal Response Treatment to motivate children with ASD to initiate to peers. The adult arranges the play environment in order to promote cooperation and facilitates frequent prompting and reinforcement from peers, thereby enhancing the reward value of peer interactions.

Other names: Pivotal Response Treatment

Primary outcomes

Initiation Frequency (observational rating of the frequency of child initiations to peers measured from video recording during free play sessions)

Time frame: 8 weeks

The primary measure is an observational rating of the frequency of child initiations to peers measured from video recording during free play sessions at baseline and post-treatment.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Stanford University

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2015
Primary completion: 2017
Study completion: 2020
First posted: Feb 10, 2015
Registry last updated: Jan 8, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed