Autism Spectrum DisorderParentRITNCT03020927
Therapist and Parent Delivered Reciprocal Imitation Training for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
A study testing Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist-Delivered) and Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist + Parent Delivered) in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, run by Ohio State University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to examine whether adding a parent education component to an existing intervention (Reciprocal Imitation Training) results in improved outcomes for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 24 to 60 months
- Conditions the study is for
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist-Delivered) and Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist + Parent Delivered)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 18 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Apr 2016to Aug 2022
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 24 to 60 months
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- have a community diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (as reported by parent)
- meet cutoff for "Autism" or "Autism Spectrum" on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition
- be between 24 and 60 months of age at the time of study enrollment
- demonstrate difficulties with imitation skills on the Motor Imitation Scales and/or the Unstructured Imitation Assessment during pre-treatment assessments
Who cannot join
- Participants must not be the sibling of another study participant
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The purpose of this study is to examine whether adding a parent education component to an existing intervention (Reciprocal Imitation Training) results in improved outcomes for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT) is a behavioral intervention designed to improve spontaneous imitation skills in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Previous research suggests that it can be effective when used by trained therapists, teachers, siblings, and parents of children with ASD. However, it is unclear to what extent training parents to use RIT strategies in the home environment may enhance outcomes, compared to having therapists implement RIT individually with the child. The study will compare two different versions of RIT for young children with ASD: (1) two 60-minute weekly sessions of therapist-implemented RIT and (2) one weekly 60-minute session of therapist-implemented RIT and one weekly 60-minute session of parent education about using RIT in the home environment. The investigators will examine child and family outcomes between these two intervention types. Outcomes examined will include: (1) spontaneous and prompted imitation skills in the child with ASD, (2) social communication skills in the child with ASD, (3) parent stress, and (4) parent and child behaviors during parent-child play interactions.
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Being tested
- Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist-Delivered), Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist + Parent Delivered)
- Medical subject headings
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist-Delivered)Behavioural
Also called RIT
Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention aimed at improving social imitation skills.
Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist + Parent Delivered)Behavioural
Also called RIT
Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention aimed at improving social imitation skills, using a combination of therapist-delivered intervention and parent training to deliver intervention in the home setting.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Therapist Delivered | Active comparator | Children in the therapist-delivered condition will receive two, 60-minute long sessions of Reciprocal Imitation Training each week for ten consecutive weeks. These sessions will be delivered by trained graduate, undergraduate, and post-graduate research staff. Parents will be permitted to observe sessions via live video, but will not be directly involved in intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist-Delivered) |
| Parent + Therapist Delivered | Experimental | Children in the parent + therapist-delivered condition will receive one, 60-minute long session of Reciprocal Imitation Training each week for ten consecutive weeks. These sessions will be delivered by trained graduate, undergraduate, and post-graduate research staff. During the same period of time, parents/guardians of children will receive one, 60-minute long parent education session per week with graduate and post-graduate research staff, aimed at teaching parents to implement Reciprocal Imitation Training at home with the child. Receives: Behavioral: Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist + Parent Delivered) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Unstructured Imitation Assessment (UIA)
The Unstructured Imitation Assessment (UIA) is a semi-structured, standardized test of imitation skills containing 10 object imitation and 10 gesture imitation tasks (Ingersoll \& Meyer, 2011).
Measured: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
Percentage of parent acts imitated during Parent-Child Play Interaction
Percentage of parent play acts and meaningful gestures imitated by the child during a 10-minute unstructured play interaction with parent
Measured: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
Secondary outcomes (4)
Parenting Stress Index, 4th Edition
Measured: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
Motor Imitation Scales
Measured: 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention), 3 months post-treatment, 6 months post-treatment
Early Social Communication Scales
Measured: 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention), 3 months post-treatment, 6 months post-treatment
Proportion of time spent jointly engaged during Parent-Child Play Interaction
Proportion of time spent in joint engagement state (joint focus on same activity) during a 10-minute unstructured play interaction with parent
Measured: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted13 Jan 2017 (estimated)
- Study startApr 2016
- Primary completionAug 2022
- Study completionAug 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Autism Spectrum DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Ohio State UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Enrolment
- 18 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ohio State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Katherine Walton, Ohio State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03020927
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2015B0475
- Acronym
- ParentRIT
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 3 Jun 2016
- Last updated
- 24 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Therapist and Parent Delivered Reciprocal Imitation Training for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03020927
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ParentRIT / 2015B0475
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 18 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Ohio State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Apr 2016 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Aug 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- Aug 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 13 Jan 2017 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to examine whether adding a parent education component to an existing intervention (Reciprocal Imitation Training) results in improved outcomes for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT) is a behavioral intervention designed to improve spontaneous imitation skills in young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Previous research suggests that it can be effective when used by trained therapists, teachers, siblings, and parents of children with ASD. However, it is unclear to what extent training parents to use RIT strategies in the home environment may enhance outcomes, compared to having therapists implement RIT individually with the child. The study will compare two different versions of RIT for young children with ASD: (1) two 60-minute weekly sessions of therapist-implemented RIT and (2) one weekly 60-minute session of therapist-implemented RIT and one weekly 60-minute session of parent education about using RIT in the home environment. The investigators will examine child and family outcomes between these two intervention types. Outcomes examined will include: (1) spontaneous and prompted imitation skills in the child with ASD, (2) social communication skills in the child with ASD, (3) parent stress, and (4) parent and child behaviors during parent-child play interactions.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Therapist Delivered | Active comparator | Behavioral: Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist-Delivered)Children in the therapist-delivered condition will receive two, 60-minute long sessions of Reciprocal Imitation Training each week for ten consecutive weeks. These sessions will be delivered by trained graduate, undergraduate, and post-graduate research staff. Parents will be permitted to observe sessions via live video, but will not be directly involved in intervention. |
| Parent + Therapist Delivered | Experimental | Behavioral: Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist + Parent Delivered)Children in the parent + therapist-delivered condition will receive one, 60-minute long session of Reciprocal Imitation Training each week for ten consecutive weeks. These sessions will be delivered by trained graduate, undergraduate, and post-graduate research staff. During the same period of time, parents/guardians of children will receive one, 60-minute long parent education session per week with graduate and post-graduate research staff, aimed at teaching parents to implement Reciprocal Imitation Training at home with the child. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 24 to 60 months
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- have a community diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (as reported by parent)
- meet cutoff for "Autism" or "Autism Spectrum" on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition
- be between 24 and 60 months of age at the time of study enrollment
- demonstrate difficulties with imitation skills on the Motor Imitation Scales and/or the Unstructured Imitation Assessment during pre-treatment assessments
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Participants must not be the sibling of another study participant
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist-Delivered)Also: RITNaturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention aimed at improving social imitation skills. | Behavioural | Therapist Delivered |
| Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist + Parent Delivered)Also: RITNaturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention aimed at improving social imitation skills, using a combination of therapist-delivered intervention and parent training to deliver intervention in the home setting. | Behavioural | Parent + Therapist Delivered |
Primary outcome
Unstructured Imitation Assessment (UIA)
Time frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
The Unstructured Imitation Assessment (UIA) is a semi-structured, standardized test of imitation skills containing 10 object imitation and 10 gesture imitation tasks (Ingersoll \& Meyer, 2011).
Percentage of parent acts imitated during Parent-Child Play Interaction
Time frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
Percentage of parent play acts and meaningful gestures imitated by the child during a 10-minute unstructured play interaction with parent
4 secondary outcomes
Parenting Stress Index, 4th Edition
Time frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
Motor Imitation Scales
Time frame: 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention), 3 months post-treatment, 6 months post-treatment
Early Social Communication Scales
Time frame: 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention), 3 months post-treatment, 6 months post-treatment
Proportion of time spent jointly engaged during Parent-Child Play Interaction
Time frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Apr 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist-Delivered) and Reciprocal Imitation Training (Therapist + Parent Delivered) in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, run by Ohio State University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Unstructured Imitation Assessment (UIA) (time frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks (immediately post-intervention)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Apr 2026.