Reciprocal Imitation Training for Autism
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
+4 other locations
Age: < 18
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: University of Washington
Disqualifiers: Visual, hearing, motor conditions
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?This study is evaluating whether a parent-mediated intervention can improve outcomes for children with autism.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Reciprocal Imitation Training for Autism?
Research shows that Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT) helps young children with autism improve their ability to imitate gestures and play actions. Studies found that children who received RIT made significant gains in both elicited and spontaneous imitation skills, and these improvements were maintained over time and in different settings.
12345How is Reciprocal Imitation Training different from other treatments for autism?
Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT) is unique because it is a naturalistic intervention that focuses on teaching imitation skills during play, which helps children with autism improve their social and communication abilities. Unlike some other treatments, RIT can be easily taught to parents to use at home, making it more accessible and practical for everyday use.
13456Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or social communication impairments who attend weekly sessions with a provider. Parents or guardians must be over 18, speak English or Spanish, and have not received Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT) before. Children with visual, hearing, or motor conditions that affect RIT participation are excluded.Inclusion Criteria
My parents can speak English or Spanish.
My parents are 18 years old or older.
Parents are biological parents or custodial guardians
+2 more
Exclusion Criteria
My child or I have had therapy or coaching in a developmental intervention before.
My child has conditions affecting sight, hearing, or movement that may limit participation in the therapy or assessments.
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Training and Initial Assessment
EI providers receive intensive training in RIT and parent coaching, and baseline assessments are conducted for children and families.
4 weeks
1 visit (in-person) for training, multiple virtual assessments
Active Treatment
Providers use the CI-RIT intervention with enrolled families, with monthly videotaped sessions for fidelity scoring and monthly consultations.
3 months
Monthly in-person or virtual sessions
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for improvements in child and caregiver outcomes, with assessments at 4 and 9 months post-baseline.
5 months
2 visits (in-person or virtual) for assessments
Participant Groups
The study aims to improve early intervention services for children with ASD by training providers in the Part C Early Intervention system to use an evidence-based parent-mediated approach called Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT).
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: RIT Training GroupExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Providers in the RIT group (n=80) will receive intensive training (online tutorial, 2-day workshop, and virtual coaching and feedback in the field) in RIT and parent coaching and will be required to achieve fidelity prior to enrolling families from their caseload. They will then be asked to use the intervention with enrolled families for a minimum of 3 months. One intervention session per month for each enrolled family will be videotaped and scored for fidelity. Providers will receive monthly consultation from RIT trainers while these families are in the active treatment phase.
Group II: Treatment as UsualActive Control1 Intervention
Providers in the TAU group (n=80) will have three sessions videotaped and scored for each enrolled family to assess treatment differentiation. To incentivize agency participation, RIT training will be provided to the TAU group and other providers when data collection is complete.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
University of WashingtonSeattle, WA
Rush University Medical CenterChicago, IL
University of Massachusetts BostonBoston, MA
Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MI
More Trial Locations
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of WashingtonLead Sponsor
Michigan State UniversityCollaborator
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)Collaborator
Rush University Medical CenterCollaborator
University of Massachusetts, BostonCollaborator
References
Pilot randomized controlled trial of Reciprocal Imitation Training for teaching elicited and spontaneous imitation to children with autism. [2023]Children with autism exhibit significant deficits in imitation skills. Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT), a naturalistic imitation intervention, was developed to teach young children with autism to imitate during play. This study used a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of RIT on elicited and spontaneous imitation skills in 21 young children with autism. Results found that children in the treatment group made significantly more gains in elicited and spontaneous imitation, replicating previous single-subject design studies. Number of spontaneous play acts at pre-treatment was related to improvements in imitation during the intervention, suggesting that children with a greater play repertoire make greater gains during RIT.
The effect of a parent-implemented imitation intervention on spontaneous imitation skills in young children with autism. [2007]Children with autism exhibit significant deficits in their ability to spontaneously imitate the play actions and descriptive gestures of others. Reciprocal imitation training (RIT) is a naturalistic imitation intervention designed to teach spontaneous imitation skills during play. This study assessed the effectiveness of parent-implemented RIT using a multiple-baseline design across three young children with autism and their mothers. After an initial baseline, mothers were taught to implement RIT techniques with their child twice a week for 10 weeks in a clinic setting. Two mothers were taught to use RIT to teach object imitation. The third mother was taught to use RIT to target both object and gesture imitation in a multiple-baseline design across behaviors. Generalization was assessed in the families' homes at the end of treatment and a 1-month follow-up. Parents learned to use the intervention strategies and their children exhibited increases in spontaneous imitation. These findings replicate the results from previous studies, indicating that RIT is effective for teaching imitation skills to young children with autism in a naturalistic setting and extend the findings to parents.
Teaching the imitation and spontaneous use of descriptive gestures in young children with autism using a naturalistic behavioral intervention. [2019]Children with autism exhibit deficits in the imitation and spontaneous use of descriptive gestures. Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT), a naturalistic imitation intervention, has ben shown to increase object imitation skills in young children with autism. A single-subject, multiple-baseline design across five young children with autism was used to determine whether RIT could be adapted to target the imitation of descriptive gestures. All participants increased their imitation of gestures in the treatment setting and on a structured imitation assessment. Gains generalized to a novel therapist, setting, and materials and maintained at a 1-month follow-up. Three participants also increased their spontaneous use of descriptive gestures. These results provide support for the effectiveness of a naturalistic intervention for teaching gesture imitation.
Effects of coaching on the fidelity of parent implementation of reciprocal imitation training. [2020]Imitation is an important early social communicative skill that is often impaired in young children with autism. Reciprocal imitation training is an easy-to-implement intervention that targets social imitation and can be taught to parents or other caregivers to implement at home and in the community. In this study, parents of children with autism were taught to implement reciprocal imitation training. The quality of parent fidelity of intervention implementation and rates of child spontaneous imitation were examined in three phases: baseline, post-didactic training, and after the introduction of 1:1 coaching. The results suggest that coaching improved parent fidelity with all parent participants, and this correlated to an increase in spontaneous imitation with some of the child participants.
Promoting imitation in young children with autism: a comparison of reciprocal imitation training and video modeling. [2021]The inability to imitate is a salient diagnostic marker for autism. It has been suggested that for children with autism, imitation may be a prerequisite skill that can assist in the development of various skills. Using a multiple baseline design across subjects, the purpose of this research was to determine if two interventions, reciprocal imitation training and video modeling were effective in promoting imitation acquisition in young children with autism. Six boys were matched across various features (i.e., age, language, autism severity) and randomly placed in a treatment condition. Results indicated that all six participants increased their imitation skills to varying degrees in both conditions, and imitation maintained and generalized at higher than baseline levels post treatment.
The impact of object and gesture imitation training on language use in children with autism spectrum disorder. [2023]Reciprocal imitation training (RIT) is a naturalistic behavioral intervention that teaches imitation to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within a social-communicative context. RIT has been shown to be effective at teaching spontaneous, generalized object and gesture imitation. In addition, improvements in imitation are associated with increases in verbal imitation and spontaneous language.