Nonverbal and Low Verbal AutismMBCTNCT04679974
Melodic-based Communication Therapy for Promoting Spoken Language Development in Individuals With Nonverbal Autism
A study testing Melodic-based Communication Therapy in people with Nonverbal and Low Verbal Autism, run by Loma Linda University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of Melodic Based Communication Therapy (M.B.C.T.) for increasing oral expressive skills in nonverbal children with autism spectrum disorders. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 3 to 10 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Nonverbal and Low Verbal Autism
- What is being tested?
- Melodic-based Communication Therapy
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 10 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 17 Jun 2018to 30 Aug 2018
- 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 3 to 10 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Male and female children with autism ages 3-years-0-months to 10-years-11-month who meet the criterion for nonverbal (defined as less than 10 words ever spoken expressively and no functional verbal communication)
Who cannot join
- Individuals receiving other language or articulation treatments or therapy at the time of the study, unable to regularly attend four 30 min sessions of therapy weekly for 4 weeks, a history of severe hearing impairment, severe visual impairment/ blindness, a diagnosis of an organic impairment of oral or laryngeal structures, or a significant medical illness or condition which would prevent the child's participation in the treatment procedures. These conditions include, but are not limited to cerebral palsy, paraplegia, spina bifida, uncontrolled seizures, dysarthria, and amputation of arm(s).
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Melodic-based Communication Therapy for Promoting Spoken Language Development in Individuals With Nonverbal Autism Ages: 3:0 - 10:11
The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of Melodic Based Communication Therapy (M.B.C.T.) for increasing oral expressive skills in nonverbal children with autism spectrum disorders. MBCT has previously been shown to facilitate an improvement in expressive vocabulary, verbal imitative abilities, number of vocalizations, and social language development in nonverbal children with autism ages 5-7. However, earlier studies were small and did not examine the effects of M.B.C.T. on a younger and older population. This study will examine its effectiveness across a broader sample group. Additionally, this study will examine further predictors of success including but not limited to chronological age, developmental age, the frequency of repetitive/stereotypic behaviors, receptive language score, and social language score.
Read the detailed description
The study will be a repeated measures design as assessments will be taken at baseline and on a weekly basis (baseline, weeks 1-4). All participants in the study will receive Melodic Based Communication Therapy (M.B.C.T.). General procedures involved in (M.B.C.T.) are as follows: 25 common first words are selected as the targets (e.g., apple, ball, car, dog, cat, eat, go, etc.). Pictures and objects will be used as stimulus items. The top 3-5 incentives as identified by parent survey will be given according to the therapies specific reinforcement schedule. All treatment and evaluation sessions will be videotaped for future/further analysis and verification purposes. For the purposes of the study design, the same 25 words will be used for all participants.
- Subjects will be male and female children diagnosed with autism.
- Subjects will be between 3 years 0 months and 10 years 11 months of age.
- In total, subject participation will last approximately 4 weeks.
- Conditions
- Nonverbal and Low Verbal Autism
- Being tested
- Melodic-based Communication Therapy
- Keywords
- MBCT, Nonverbal autism, low verbal autism
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Melodic-based Communication TherapyBehavioural
General procedures involved in (M.B.C.T.) are as follows: 25 common first words are selected as the targets (e.g., apple, ball, car, dog, cat, eat, go, etc.). Pictures and objects will be used as stimulus items. The top 3-5 incentives as identified by parent survey will be given according to the therapies specific reinforcement schedule. All treatment and evaluation sessions will be videotaped for future/further analysis and verification purposes. For the purposes of the study design, the same 25 words will be used for all participants.
Participants will first listen to the target word set to a melodic tone and rhythm on a compact disc (CD). Clinicians will present the stimulus item (e.g., apple) prior to beginning the steps. Therapy will then progress from clapping and singing the melody to answering sung questions and finally to answering spoken questions with the target word
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| MBCT treatment | Experimental | Melodic-based communication treatment Receives: Behavioral: Melodic-based Communication Therapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Number of spoken words
Pre/post measures include: number of words reported in home environment by parent pre-vs. post, CASL-2 Pragmatic Language raw score pre-vs. post, number of imitative attempts pre-vs. post, number of words correct in response to the question, "what is this?" and number of vocalizations in response to the question, "what is this?"
Measured: 4 weeks
Frequency of repetitive and stereotypical behaviors
Frequency of repetitive or stereotypic movements will be analyzed in the first week of treatment (stimming behavior). This will be evaluated as follows: onset/offset and duration of the behaviors to determine frequency. This will be evaluated by an independent observer through video analysis.
Measured: 4 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted22 Dec 2020
- Study start17 Jun 2018
- Primary completion16 Aug 2018
- Study completion30 Aug 2018
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Nonverbal and Low Verbal AutismStudies 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
- ABA design
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Loma Linda University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Karen Mainess, Loma Linda University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04679974
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 5170235
- Acronym
- MBCT
- Status last verified
- Dec 2020
- First submitted
- 17 Dec 2020
- Last updated
- 22 Dec 2020
- 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 22 Dec 2020. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Melodic-based Communication Therapy for Promoting Spoken Language Development in Individuals With Nonverbal Autism Ages: 3:0 - 10:11
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT04679974
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MBCT / 5170235
- Conditions
- Nonverbal and Low Verbal Autism
- Keywords
- MBCT, Nonverbal autism, low verbal autism
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 10 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Loma Linda UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 17 Jun 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 16 Aug 2018 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Aug 2018 (actual)
- First posted
- 22 Dec 2020 (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 purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of Melodic Based Communication Therapy (M.B.C.T.) for increasing oral expressive skills in nonverbal children with autism spectrum disorders. MBCT has previously been shown to facilitate an improvement in expressive vocabulary, verbal imitative abilities, number of vocalizations, and social language development in nonverbal children with autism ages 5-7. However, earlier studies were small and did not examine the effects of M.B.C.T. on a younger and older population. This study will examine its effectiveness across a broader sample group. Additionally, this study will examine further predictors of success including but not limited to chronological age, developmental age, the frequency of repetitive/stereotypic behaviors, receptive language score, and social language score.
Detailed description
The study will be a repeated measures design as assessments will be taken at baseline and on a weekly basis (baseline, weeks 1-4). All participants in the study will receive Melodic Based Communication Therapy (M.B.C.T.). General procedures involved in (M.B.C.T.) are as follows: 25 common first words are selected as the targets (e.g., apple, ball, car, dog, cat, eat, go, etc.). Pictures and objects will be used as stimulus items. The top 3-5 incentives as identified by parent survey will be given according to the therapies specific reinforcement schedule. All treatment and evaluation sessions will be videotaped for future/further analysis and verification purposes. For the purposes of the study design, the same 25 words will be used for all participants.
- Subjects will be male and female children diagnosed with autism.
- Subjects will be between 3 years 0 months and 10 years 11 months of age.
- In total, subject participation will last approximately 4 weeks.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- ABA design
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| MBCT treatment | Experimental | Behavioral: Melodic-based Communication TherapyMelodic-based communication treatment |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 3 to 10 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Male and female children with autism ages 3-years-0-months to 10-years-11-month who meet the criterion for nonverbal (defined as less than 10 words ever spoken expressively and no functional verbal communication)
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Individuals receiving other language or articulation treatments or therapy at the time of the study, unable to regularly attend four 30 min sessions of therapy weekly for 4 weeks, a history of severe hearing impairment, severe visual impairment/ blindness, a diagnosis of an organic impairment of oral or laryngeal structures, or a significant medical illness or condition which would prevent the child's participation in the treatment procedures. These conditions include, but are not limited to cerebral palsy, paraplegia, spina bifida, uncontrolled seizures, dysarthria, and amputation of arm(s).
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Melodic-based Communication TherapyGeneral procedures involved in (M.B.C.T.) are as follows: 25 common first words are selected as the targets (e.g., apple, ball, car, dog, cat, eat, go, etc.). Pictures and objects will be used as stimulus items. The top 3-5 incentives as identified by parent survey will be given according to the therapies specific reinforcement schedule. All treatment and evaluation sessions will be videotaped for future/further analysis and verification purposes. For the purposes of the study design, the same 25 words will be used for all participants. Participants will first listen to the target word set to a melodic tone and rhythm on a compact disc (CD). Clinicians will present the stimulus item (e.g., apple) prior to beginning the steps. Therapy will then progress from clapping and singing the melody to answering sung questions and finally to answering spoken questions with the target word | Behavioural | MBCT treatment |
Primary outcome
Number of spoken words
Time frame: 4 weeks
Pre/post measures include: number of words reported in home environment by parent pre-vs. post, CASL-2 Pragmatic Language raw score pre-vs. post, number of imitative attempts pre-vs. post, number of words correct in response to the question, "what is this?" and number of vocalizations in response to the question, "what is this?"
Frequency of repetitive and stereotypical behaviors
Time frame: 4 weeks
Frequency of repetitive or stereotypic movements will be analyzed in the first week of treatment (stimming behavior). This will be evaluated as follows: onset/offset and duration of the behaviors to determine frequency. This will be evaluated by an independent observer through video analysis.
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 22 Dec 2020.
- 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 Melodic-based Communication Therapy in people with Nonverbal and Low Verbal Autism, run by Loma Linda 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 1 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 22 Dec 2020. 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?
Number of spoken words (time frame: 4 weeks). 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 22 Dec 2020.