Recruiting

Teaching Parents Online Skills to Support Children With Autism

Plain-English translation of NCT06523387 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ · Source last updated May 2026 · Translation generated June 2026 · How we translate trials

This study doesn't follow the usual testing phases — it may be an observational study or a different type of research.

What is this trial?

This study is testing an online training course called Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) designed to teach parents specific strategies for helping young children with autism, particularly those who struggle with communication. The course consists of 10 online lessons that parents complete over 12 weeks, along with worksheets and practice at home. The goal is to see whether parents can successfully learn and use these teaching strategies with their children.

Many young children with autism have difficulty communicating, and research shows that when parents learn specific teaching techniques, children often make significant progress. This study is testing whether an online course—which is more accessible than in-person training—can effectively teach parents these skills without requiring travel or scheduling conflicts.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

your child is between 2 and 5 years old
your child has been diagnosed with or shows signs of autism spectrum disorder
your child has noticeable difficulty with communication skills
you speak English at home and can participate in the study in English
you have not previously tried this specific teaching approach (or tried it without success)

You likely don't qualify if…

your child's primary language at home is not English
you or your child have a serious untreated mental health condition or unstable medical problem
your child is currently receiving more than 15 hours per week of one-on-one autism therapy at home
you live within 100 miles of Stanford University
your child's autism treatments, school placement, or speech therapy have been recently changed or are expected to change during the study

What participation looks like

If you are selected for the study, you will either join the training group or the delayed group (which waits to start the course later). If you're in the training group, you'll watch 10 online lessons over 12 weeks at your own pace through Stanford's learning platform, complete worksheets, and practice the teaching strategies at home with your child. The researchers will measure your child's communication progress and assess how well you've learned the approach through questionnaires and assessments during the study period.

AI-generated summary from trial data · Jun 11, 2026 · Not medical advice

Trial locations(1 site)

United States

Stanford University, Stanford, California