An Empowering Parent Training Intervention to Increase Physical Activity in Preschool Aged Children With Autism

Part of paid clinical trials in Boston, Massachusetts.

Sponsor
Northeastern University
Study ID
NCT07421830
Status
Recruiting
Apply to this trial

Conditions

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Wellness Enhancing Physical Activity for Young Children: Parent Version (WE PLAY for Parents) — BEHAVIORAL
    WE PLAY for Parents is an online intervention that includes an asynchronous online training with written material about physical activity promotion. Users view video clips of adults promoting active play with young children, review handouts with behavior management tips and social stories, participate in an anonymized discussion board with other parent participants, and complete a self-assessment. Intervention completion is takes between 1.5 to 2 hours.

Study Details

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if WE PLAY for Parents can improve caregivers' knowledge, attitudes, confidence, and skills promoting physical activity with their young child with autism. The main questions it aims to answer are: (1) Do participants who complete WE PLAY for Parents improve their knowledge, behavior intentions, perceived behavior control, self-efficacy, and parenting practices related to physical activity promotion with their child (Primary Hypotheses); and (2) Do participants view WE PLAY for Parents as acceptable, understandable, and feasible \[secondary hypothesis)? Researchers will compare the WE PLAY for Parents group \[experimental arm\] to a Waitlist Control group to see if there are differences in the variables listed in the primary hypothesis. Participants will: (1) Complete a set of questionnaires at three timepoints: pre-training, post-training, and 3-month follow-up that each take between 10-15 minutes; (2) be randomly assigned to take the training over the next two weeks or be offered the training after 3 months. The online training takes about 90 minutes. It includes watching informational videos, viewing video clips of adults helping children be active, reading handouts on behavior management tips and social stories, participating in an anonymous discussion board with other parents, and completing a self-assessment.

Key Dates

Start date
Feb 20, 2026
Status verified
Apr 2026
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026
Completion
Dec 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
114 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION

Arms

  • Experimental: WE PLAY for Parents Group
    Participants in the WE PLAY for Parents Group will be asked to complete the intervention in the first two weeks of the study period.
  • No Intervention: Control Group
    Participants in the Waitlist Control group will be given access to the WE PLAY for Parents training after their study data collection is complete. This group will not receive any intervention during the data collection period.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change from Pre-Training in Parental Confidence in Promoting Physical Activity for their Children on the Preschool Parent Confidence Questionnaire (PPCQ) at Week 2 [ Time Frame: Pre-training (Week 0), Post-training (Week 2) ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Northeastern UniversityBostonMassachusetts02115
Haley V Medeiros, MS/CAGs
[email protected]
617-373-5257
Jessica Hoffman, PhD, NCSP
[email protected]
Jessica Hoffman, PhD, NCSP (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)
Haley V Medeiros, MS, CAGs (SUB_INVESTIGATOR)

Find similar trials in Boston, MA

By research site
Northeastern University· Boston, MA

Related Studies