NCT03215394

Evaluation of Social ABCs With Attention Training Intervention for Toddlers With Suspected Autism

Completed NA Last updated 27 January 2021

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Attention Training Program in Autism Spectrum Disorder in 150 participants. Completed in 30 August 2020.

Timeline

1 April 2017

Primary endpoint
30 August 2020

30 August 2020

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	150
Start date	1 April 2017
Primary completion	30 August 2020
Estimated completion	30 August 2020
Sites	4 locations across United Kingdom, Canada

Drugs / interventions tested

• Attention Training Program
• Social ABCs
• Treatment As Usual
• Sham Attention Training

Conditions studied

• Autism Spectrum Disorder — all drugs for Autism Spectrum Disorder →

Sponsor

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Who can join

Adults 12 Months to 30 Months, any sex, with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

The Social ABCs is an evidence-based, developmentally informed, caregiver-mediated behavioural intervention for toddlers with suspected or confirmed Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is based on principles of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT, grounded in Applied Behaviour Analysis), and responsive parenting. The two key targets of this program are functional verbal communication and positive caregiver-child affect sharing. This intervention takes place in the context of play and daily routines, and in all contexts is made to be fun, natural and motivating for the child.

In both a pilot study and a recently completed randomized control trial, toddlers whose caregivers received training in the Social ABCs intervention showed significant gains in early language development (both responsivity and initiations), increased child smiling (mediated by parent smiling), and a trend toward increased social orienting (one important manifestation of social attention).

Despite the social-communication benefits demonstrated through the Social ABCs, the research team is also motivated to foster the attentional abilities of toddlers with emerging ASD in response to compelling evidence that early attentional control abilities may play a central role in the emergence of ASD. Based on this knowledge, the current study targets not only social-communication challenges and affect sharing (as per the existing Social ABCs intervention), but also attentional control in toddlers with suspected or confirmed ASD. Using a structured, computerized attention-training protocol, this RCT evaluates the impact of supplementing the standard Social ABCs intervention with pre-intervention attentional control training.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Does baseline language ability predict response to early intervention for toddlers with early signs of autism? Evidence from a caregiver-mediated program.
   Brian JA, Roth I, Zwaigenbaum L, Smith I, et al · · 2026 · PMID 41928762 · DOI 10.3389/fnhum.2026.1704374