Autism Spectrum DisorderEMITNCT05849376
Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training
A study testing Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, run by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey at 1 site in United States.
Trial 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)… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 12 months to 6 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 25 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 27 Mar 2022to 31 Aug 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 12 months to 6 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
- Age 5 or under
- Maximum score of 40 on Motor Vocal Imitation Assessment
- Demonstrates identity matching above chance levels
Who cannot join
- Diagnosis of intellectual disability
- Diagnosis of certain conditions that impact motor function (e.g., cerebral palsy)
- Visual impairment
- Hearing impairment
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901
Meghan A Deshais, Ph.D., 860-942-4453, m.deshais@rutgers.edu
About this study
Official title: A Pilot Investigation of Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training (EMIT)
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.
Read the 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 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.
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Being tested
- Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training
- Keywords
- Autism, Imitation
- Medical subject headings
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autistic Disorder
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Emergent Multi-Class Imitation TrainingBehavioural
Sessions will be conducted in a room with minimal distractions containing a table, two chairs, a timer, and 3-4 highly preferred (HP) items identified by preference assessments. A maximum of 10 sessions per week will be distributed across at least 3 days per week. Each session will take 15-20 min to conduct. Novel probe trials will be embedded throughout all sessions to continuously assess for the emergence of generalized imitation. When participants can consistently imitate novel probe responses, the intervention will conclude.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| EMIT Intervention | Experimental | Participants will receive the EMIT intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Probe performance
Correct responding to probe trials (novel targets)
Measured: Approximately 3x per week throughout participant's EMIT intervention, approximately 3-6 months
Secondary outcomes (1)
Motor Vocal Imitation Assessment
Performance on Motor Vocal Imitation Assessment
Measured: Pre-Intervention and Post-Intervention (within 2 weeks of intervention completion)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 May 2023
- Study start27 Mar 2022
- Primary completion31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
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.
- 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
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- Single case experimental designs will be used.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 25 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Meghan A. Deshais, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Investigators
- Meghan A Deshais, Ph.D., Principal investigator, Rutgers University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05849376
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pro2022001609
- Acronym
- EMIT
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 5 Apr 2023
- Last updated
- 19 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 19 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Pilot Investigation of Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training (EMIT)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05849376
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EMIT / Pro2022001609
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Keywords
- Autism, Imitation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 25 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 27 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 8 May 2023 (actual)
- 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 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 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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- Single case experimental designs will be used.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| EMIT Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Emergent Multi-Class Imitation TrainingParticipants will receive the EMIT intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 12 months to 6 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
- Age 5 or under
- Maximum score of 40 on Motor Vocal Imitation Assessment
- Demonstrates identity matching above chance levels
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Diagnosis of intellectual disability
- Diagnosis of certain conditions that impact motor function (e.g., cerebral palsy)
- Visual impairment
- Hearing impairment
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Emergent Multi-Class Imitation TrainingSessions will be conducted in a room with minimal distractions containing a table, two chairs, a timer, and 3-4 highly preferred (HP) items identified by preference assessments. A maximum of 10 sessions per week will be distributed across at least 3 days per week. Each session will take 15-20 min to conduct. Novel probe trials will be embedded throughout all sessions to continuously assess for the emergence of generalized imitation. When participants can consistently imitate novel probe responses, the intervention will conclude. | Behavioural | EMIT Intervention |
Primary outcome
Probe performance
Time frame: Approximately 3x per week throughout participant's EMIT intervention, approximately 3-6 months
Correct responding to probe trials (novel targets)
1 secondary outcome
Motor Vocal Imitation Assessment
Time frame: Pre-Intervention and Post-Intervention (within 2 weeks of intervention completion)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 19 May 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.
Meghan A Deshais, Ph.D. principal investigator
Rutgers University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Emergent Multi-Class Imitation Training in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, run by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 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 4 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 19 May 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Meghan A Deshais, Ph.D. (860-942-4453, m.deshais@rutgers.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Probe performance (time frame: Approximately 3x per week throughout participant's EMIT intervention, approximately 3-6 months). 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 19 May 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 27 Oct 2026.