ImPACT Intervention for Children With ASD

University Ghent

Status: Completed

Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Treatments: Other: TAU; Other: ImPACT

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03323918

BRAINVIEW/ESR14

Details and patient eligibility

About

This randomised-controlled trial will assess the effect of an early intervention on the social-communicative abilities and brain activity of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The children´s social-communicative abilities and the related brain activity will be evaluated at three time points: before the start of the intervention (pre-intervention), immediately after its conclusion (post-intervention) and several weeks after its conclusion (follow-up).

Full description

Previous research has shown that parent-implemented interventions are effective in improving the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of the present project is to investigate the brain activity changes that are at the basis of the changes observed in the children's behaviour. More specifically, the investigators will assess the effect of Project ImPACT, a parent-implemented intervention, which teaches parents techniques to stimulate the social-communicative abilities of their children.

The intervention is suitable for preschoolers with a diagnosis of ASD and consists of 18 sessions of maximum 2 hours each, one session per week, delivered by trained therapists of the home guidance services in Flanders. Children with a diagnosis of ASD (or children who are suspected of ASD) between 1,5 and 4 years old and their parents will participate in the study. They will be randomly assigned to the ImPACT intervention or treatment as usual. The investigators will assess the effect of the intervention on the children's social-communicative abilities, and on the neural and biological correlates of these abilities.

The families will be invited to come to the Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogical Sciences at three time points: before the start of the intervention, immediately after the end of the intervention (which is expected to last 18 weeks) and 12 weeks after the end of the intervention.

Enrollment: 56 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 48 months old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• A clinical or working diagnosis of ASD

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

---

56 participants in 2 patient groups

ImPACT

Experimental group

Description:

Project ImPACT will be provided in 18 weekly intervention sessions, during which parents will learn how to stimulate their children's social imitation, social engagement, language and play skills. First, parents are taught techniques that promote interaction with the child (one technique per session, through demonstration and coaching). In the second half of the intervention, parents are taught direct teaching techniques, e.g., to promote language or play, again by means of demonstration and coaching. After completion of the program, families will receive guidance every 2-3 weeks for an additional 12 weeks, during which the support will generally not focus on social-communicative abilities, although ImPACT follow-up sessions might be given if necessary.

Treatment:

Other: ImPACT

TAU

Active Comparator group

Description:

Treatment as usual (TAU) will be provided at the typical frequency, which is every 2-3 weeks. TAU can include targeting eating and sleeping problems, adaptive skills, or other goals. TAU will not include forms of intervention explicitly targeting social communicative skills. However, limited guidance on social communication development can be given if explicitly asked by parents.

Treatment:

Other: TAU