Testing The Hanen Centre's More Than Words® for autism spectrum disorder
Official title: Caregiver Training to Support Children With Social Communication Challenges
The More Than Words® Program for Parents of Young Children With Social Communication Challenges: A Pilot Pragmatic Randomized Waitlist-Control Trial
- 2 groups
- One site, in London
- Recruiting
Interventions
- Behavioural therapy
The Hanen Centre's More Than Words® program
The Hanen Centre's More Than Words® program is a globally used, parent coaching intervention delivered by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to parents of children who have social communication challenges, which includes children with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of autism. The training program is designed to provide parents with the tools, strategies, and support they need to help their children reach their full communication and social interaction potential.
Canadian Sites (1)
1 of 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Western University
London, Ontario
Eligibility Criteria
See who this study is looking for6 criteria
The trial’s own eligibility text, word for word from the registry. Only the trial site can say who takes part.
Inclusion
- +The child is under 48 months of age at the time of study enrolmentEnrolmentThe number of participants a study plans to include, or has included.Read more →.
- +The child has delays in social communication and play skills according to the clinical assessment of the child's community SLP.
- +The parent (or other primary caregiver) has a smart phone, tablet, or computer with webcam and internet access to attend the virtual MTW sessions and complete study measures
- +The parent is available to attend the 13-week virtual MTW program (which includes 9 online group sessions on Saturday mornings or Monday evenings).
- +The parent is comfortable communicating and filling out forms in English.
Exclusion
- −Failure to meet the inclusion criteriaInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → outlined above.
In plain language
Assembled directly from this trial’s registry record. Every sentence traces to a field below — nothing here is generated or interpreted.
What this study is
This study is testing a treatment for a condition.
This study is not organised into the usual phase numbers — that is common for device, behavioural, and diagnostic research.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.primaryPurpose
- designModule.phases
Who receives what
There are 2 groups in this study.
Group A receives The Hanen Centre's More Than Words® program.
Registry label: A: Virtual MTW Treatment Group (TG)
Group B receives no study treatment and is followed for comparison.
Registry label: B: Waitlist Control Group (WCG)
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].label
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
How the study is run
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
One group of people involved — usually the participants — is not told which treatment is which.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
One group receives no study treatment at all, and is followed for comparison.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].interventionNames
Who the study is looking for
The study lists a maximum age of 47 months.
The study is open to people of any sex.
The study does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
These are the criteria the study lists. Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- eligibilityModule.maximumAge
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How big and how long
The study aims to enrol about 72 people.
The study is currently expected to finish around July 2026.
The main measurement is taken over: Within 2 weeks before the waitlist period (control groupControl groupThe group a new treatment is measured against.Read more → only), 2 weeks before program start, 2 weeks after program end, 13-15 weeks after program end.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
What the study measures
Changes from baselineBaselineYour starting measurements, taken before treatment begins.Read more → in Child Communicative Participation at post-program and follow-upFollow-upContinued check-ins after the treatment part is finished.Read more → — measured over Within 2 weeks before the waitlist period (control groupControl groupThe group a new treatment is measured against.Read more → only), 2 weeks before program start, 2 weeks after program end, 13-15 weeks after program end.
Changes from baseline in global social communication challenges at post-program and follow-up — measured over Within 2 weeks before the waitlist period (control group only), 2 weeks before program start, 2 weeks after program end, 13-15 weeks after program end.
Changes from baseline in joint engagement at post-program and follow-up — measured over Within 2 weeks before the waitlist period (control group only), 2 weeks before program start, 2 weeks after program end, 13-15 weeks after program end.
Changes from baseline in parent evaluation of self-efficacy and services at post-program and follow-up — measured over Within 2 weeks before the waitlist period (control group only), 2 weeks before program start, 2 weeks after program end, 13-15 weeks after program end.
The study lists 2 further main measurements.
From the trial registry
Built from these fields:
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].measure
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
Source: NCT06909279 on ClinicalTrials.gov. The full registry text is further down this page — this summary never replaces it.
Not medical advice. What do these terms mean?
What is being tested — in plain terms
About The Hanen Centre's More Than Words® programBehavioural
The Hanen Centre's More Than Words® program is a globally used, parent coaching intervention delivered by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to parents of children who have social communication challenges, which includes children with a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of autism. The training program is designed to provide parents with the tools, strategies, and support they need to help their children reach their full communication and social interaction potential.
From the trial registry — its own words, unedited.
What a behavioural is here: A programme, therapy, education, or lifestyle approach being studied.
Read the full explanation → · in clinical review
Common questions
Answered from this trial’s registry record. Where the record doesn’t say, these answers say so rather than filling the gap.
Am I eligible for this trial?
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can decide whether someone can take part. Concord cannot make that determination, and neither can any tool that has not examined you.
The full inclusionInclusion criteriaThe things you must have or be for a study to consider you.Read more → and exclusion criteriaExclusion criteriaThe things that would prevent someone from taking part.Read more → are published on this page, exactly as the study team wrote them.
The useful next step is to bring this trial to your doctor. Answering a few questions first gives them something concrete to review.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.eligibilityCriteria
Is there a placebo?
This study does not list a placeboPlaceboA dummy treatment with no active medicine, used for comparison.Read more → group.
One group receives no study treatment and is followed for comparison.
From the trial registry
- armsInterventionsModule.armGroups[].type
Would I know which treatment I am getting?
One group of people involved — usually the participants — is not told which treatment is which.
Which group you would be placed in is decided by chance, like a coin flip — not by you and not by your doctor.
From the trial registry
- designModule.designInfo.maskingInfo.masking
- designModule.designInfo.allocation
Who can join?
It is open to people of any sex.
It does not accept healthy volunteersHealthy volunteerSomeone without the condition being studied who takes part anyway.Read more →.
Only the trial siteTrial siteA hospital or clinic where a study is actually run.Read more → can confirm whether a particular person can take part.
From the trial registry
- eligibilityModule.sex
- eligibilityModule.healthyVolunteers
How long would this take?
The study's main measurement is taken over: Within 2 weeks before the waitlist period (control groupControl groupThe group a new treatment is measured against.Read more → only), 2 weeks before program start, 2 weeks after program end, 13-15 weeks after program end.
The study as a whole is currently expected to finish around 2026-07.
How long any one person takes part can differ from the study length. The study team can tell you what the schedule looks like in practice.
From the trial registry
- outcomesModule.primaryOutcomes[].timeFrame
- statusModule.completionDateStruct.date
How many people are taking part?
The study aims to enrol about 72 people.
From the trial registry
- designModule.enrollmentInfo.count
Where is this happening?
This study lists one location: London, Ontario, Canada.
Sites can open and close during a study, so confirm with the team before travelling.
From the trial registry
- trial_locations
About This Trial
"More Than Words® - The Hanen Program® for Parents of Autistic Children or Children Who May Benefit from Social Communication Support" is a family-focused intervention program delivered by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). The goal of More Than Words is to empower parents to be the main facilitator of their child's social communication development, which increases the child's opportunities to develop social communication skills in everyday situations. It is one of the programs offered to families who receive services from Ontario's Preschool Speech and Language program, although some regions are not able to offer it at all or are only able to offer a shortened version of the program. The Hanen Centre recently made updates to the More Than Words program to allow it to be delivered virtually (online) and to align with the latest evidence. Past research has found some evidence that the More Than Words program is effective, but knowledge is needed about the latest version of the program, including how effective it is when delivered online. It is important to understand who this program works best for and why. The purpose of the current study, called a pilot study, is to test a study plan that could be used in a future large study to answer these questions. In this pilot study, the investigators will test procedures for comparing the outcomes of families who receive the More Than Words program to families who have not yet received it. Additionally, procedures for understanding varying responses to treatment will be tested. The study aims to determine whether the methods used for recruiting families, delivering the program, and monitoring progress are practical and function as expected in preparation for the future large-scale study.
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See if this trial could fit youThis page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Clinical trial eligibility can only be determined by the trial site after proper screening. Trial information is sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the most current status. Always consult your healthcare provider before making decisions about clinical trial participation.