Clinical trial NCT05849376: Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training
Official title: A Pilot Investigation of Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training (EMIT)
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder
Lead sponsor: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-05-08
Enrollment: 10
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 12
Maximum age (years): 6
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SEQUENTIAL
Intervention model description: Some participants will receive the intervention immediately and some participants will be assigned to a waitlist control for a brief period, after which they will receive the intervention.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The goals of this project are to (a) incorporate empirical findings on imitation training and learning in autistic children into a comprehensive protocol for Applied Behavior Analysis practitioners designed to rapidly facilitate generalized imitation called Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training (EMIT), and (b) collect pilot data on the efficacy of EMIT with a small sample of autistic children. EMIT will incorporate several features that are grounded in prior research including: (a) evidence-based procedures for establishing trained matching relations (a pre-requisite to generalized imitation), (b) concurrent training of different response types (e.g., motor imitation, object imitation, vocal imitation) to address restricted generalization, (c) multiple manipulative object imitation training, (d) evidence-based procedures for remediating slow acquisition, and (e) frequent tests for the emergence of generalized imitation. EMIT will be the first protocol designed for clinical use that reflects research findings on imitation learning spanning almost five decades.

Detailed description: Using findings from prior research, the investigators will design a manualized training protocol (EMIT) for establishing generalized imitation in autistic children that supervised behavior therapists can implement with a high degree of fidelity. The EMIT protocol will serve as a guide for behavior therapists to help them deliver high-quality, empirically derived imitation training to autistic children. The investigators will conduct a small pilot study to evaluate the effects of EMIT on the emergence of generalized imitation with young autistic children. Single-case experimental design and a 2x2 group design will be used. A multiple baseline across participants design is a single-case design that is common in imitation research with this population. In short, the start of the intervention is stagged across participants to systematically assess the effects of the intervention on each participant's behavior. In this experiment, confirmation that EMIT is responsible for any observed effects will be obtained when changes in each participant's behavior (i.e., correct imitation of novel responses) occur when, and only when, the intervention is introduced. The 2x2 design entails the assignment of participants to an intervention group and a waitlist control group. Participants will be matched across the two groups using the scores and information obtained during the screening process. Participants assigned to the EMIT group will receive the intervention immediately. Participants in the waitlist control group will begin participating in the research sessions when their assigned matched study participant has completed his/her participation in the sessions.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
* Age 5 or under
* Maximum score of 40 on Motor Vocal Imitation Assessment
* Maximum raw score of 36 on Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-5
* Demonstrates identity matching above chance levels

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of intellectual disability
* Diagnosis of certain conditions that impact motor function (e.g., cerebral palsy)
* Visual impairment
* Hearing impairment

Primary outcomes:
measure: Probe performance
timeFrame: Approximately 3x per week throughout participant's EMIT intervention, approximately 3-6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Motor Vocal Imitation Assessment
timeFrame: Pre-Intervention and Post-Intervention (within 2 weeks of intervention completion)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: New Brunswick
country: United States
facility: Rutgers University
state: New Jersey
Study officials:
affiliation: Rutgers University
name: Meghan A Deshais, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: