Joint Attention Intervention and Young Children With Autism

Autism Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effectiveness of Joint Attention Intervention in Young Children With Autism - a Randomized Study

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00378157
• Other study ID #: UUS 29560105
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1/Phase 2
• First received: September 18, 2006
• Last updated: February 21, 2011
• Start date: September 2006
• Est. completion date: January 2010

Study information

• Verified date: February 2011
• Source: Oslo University Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Norway:National Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention aimed to increase joint attention in 2-4 year old children with autism. The study will be conducted in mainstream preschools in Norway. The intervention will be implemented by preschool teachers and paraprofessionals supervised by trained counselors.

Description:

Young children with autism experience severe deficit in joint attention skills (e.g. pointing to objects, showing, following another person's gaze, responding to invitations to social interaction). Ability to initiate and respond to joint attention is linked to children's later language abilities. As a mean to improve language outcome in children with autism, it is important to target joint attention in early intervention programs.

This study investigates the effectiveness of a joint attention intervention. Sixty 2-4 year old children with autism will be randomized to an intervention group or a control group. Children in both groups will continue their ordinary preschool program. However, the children in the intervention group will also participate in 80 joint attention intervention sessions. The sessions (20 minutes each) will be conducted twice a day for 8 weeks by preschool teachers or paraprofessionals working in the preschools. Before starting the intervention preschool teachers and paraprofessionals will be taught how to teach joint attention skills and how to initiate and maintain episodes of joint engagement. During the course of intervention they will be supervised by trained counselors.

Outcome measures will include joint attention skills, language skills and joint engagement. Children will be assessed at baseline, after 10 weeks and at follow up 6 months and 1 year after the end of the intervention. The measures are based on direct testing of the children, video observations and questionnaires to parent and professionals.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 61
• Est. completion date: January 2010
• Est. primary completion date: December 2009
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 24 Months to 60 Months

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• diagnosis of autism

• age 2-4 year old

Exclusion Criteria:

• severe mental retardation

• severe clinical CNS disorders

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Autism
• Autistic Disorder

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Joint attention intervention
Eight weeks with two daily sessions (20 minutes) with joint attention intervention in the pre-school.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Norway	Ullevaal University Hospital	Oslo

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Ullevaal University Hospital	Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Norway, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	childrens score on measures of joint attention		pre, post, follow up 6 months and 1 year	No
Secondary	score on measures of joint engagement -child and mother		pre, post, follow up 6 months and 1 year	No
Secondary	childrens score on measures of language		pre and follow up 1 year	No
Secondary	parents and service providers perception of the intervention		post, follow up 6 months and 1 year	No