Investigation of Teacher-Mediated Toilet Training Using a Manualized Moisture Alarm Intervention

The purpose of this pilot study is to compare an innovative toilet training strategy with a standard behavioral intervention in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as implemented by teachers in the school setting. Thirty classrooms with a total of 60 children with ASD (aged 3 - 10 years) will be enrolled in the study. Each classroom will be randomly assigned to either the innovative strategy group or the standard behavioral group. The innovative strategy employs an electronic moisture pager that sends a signal when the child begins having a urine accident. Outcome measures include rate of urine accidents and rate of toilet use in the two groups.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Enuresis; Autistic Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Standard of Care; Behavioral: Moisture Pager Intervention for Toilet Training

Detailed Description

The goals of this proposed study is to develop a teacher-mediated model of toileting instruction for children with ASD in school settings that incorporates our innovative manualized moisture pager intervention (i.e., the MP intervention) and conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to compare the efficacy of the MP intervention with a standard behavioral treatment (SBT).

The specific aims and related hypotheses of this proposed study are:

Aim 1: To prepare the teacher-mediated moisture pager (MP) intervention for large-scale testing in classroom settings by modifying the current parent manual for classroom use and evaluating the feasibility of the study protocol.

Hypothesis 1. The study protocol will be feasible, as indicated by achievement of recruitment targets, successful randomization, and 80% retention of both participating classroom staff and children with ASD with complete data collection.

Hypothesis 2. Teachers will deliver MP and standard behavioral treatment (SBT) intervention with >80% fidelity (as rated from teacher training fidelity checklists), and teachers in the MP and SBT intervention groups will adhere to the intervention with >80% fidelity (as rated from treatment fidelity checklists).

Hypothesis 3. Teachers participating in the MP group will report greater satisfaction with MP toilet training experience than teachers participating in the SBT group, based on teacher satisfaction surveys.

Aim 2: To compare the efficacy of the MP intervention and SBT by conducting an RCT (N= 30 classrooms with a total of 60 children with ASD aged 3 - 10 years).

Hypothesis 4. At the close of a 3-month intervention period, children in the MP group will have fewer toileting accidents and higher rate of toilet use for urination than children in the SBT group, based on data collected by teachers on pen-and-paper toileting data logs.

Hypothesis 5. At 3 months following the close of intervention, teachers in the MP group will report fewer toileting accidents and a higher rate of toileting success than children in the SBT group, as indicated through completion of toileting data logs for 3 consecutive days.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • Rochester, New York, United States, 14642
      • University of Rochester Medical Center
  • Ohio
    • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43210
      • Nationwide Children's Hospital
  • Tennessee
    • Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37235
      • Whitney Loring

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 3 years to 10 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Inclusion criteria for participating children are as follows:

1. ASD diagnosis confirmed through administration of the ADOS-2,
2. status consistent with DSM-5 diagnosis of primary daytime enuresis, with the exception of DSM-5 criterion that child is at least 5 years old, confirmed by the K-SADS,
3. a positive determination of readiness for toilet training, as determined through a Toileting Readiness Checklist, developed through a review of relevant literature on toilet training children with ASD (with 4 out of 7 signs in the checklist, with 3 of these criteria required),
4. not on medication or stable for the past three months with no anticipated changes during the three-month intervention period, and
5. consent from participating teachers and parents.

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion criteria are:

1. medical conditions that would interfere with toilet training procedures and are not well controlled (e.g., diabetes, urinary tract infection, or seizures),
2. physical disorder that may contribute to incontinence (e.g., physical disabilities, chronic constipation) and
3. medication for enuresis.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Moisture Pager (MP) Intervention Group; This group receives the innovative toilet training intervention comprised of a wireless moisture pager (i.e., an app based on an iPod that "communicates" via electronic signal with a disposable moisture sensor located in the child's underwear).	Behavioral: Moisture Pager Intervention for Toilet Training
Active Comparator: Standard Behavioral Intervention Group; This group receives standard-of-care intervention as presented in the Autism Treatment Network's Toilet Training Tool Kit (https://www.autismspeaks.org/site-wide/atn-tool-kits).	Behavioral: Standard of Care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Teacher Satisfaction with Toilet Training Experience (teacher satisfaction survey)	A teacher satisfaction survey will be completed by each participating teacher following implementation of the intervention for 60 consecutive school days.	60 Consecutive School Days
Number of Toileting Accidents/Day and Number of Successful Toilet Use for Urination/Day at End of Treatment (Toileting Data Logs)	Toileting Data Logs will be completed by participating teachers during 3 consecutive days immediately prior to each of 4 visits with study personnel for both groups.	60 Consecutive School Days
Number of Toileting Accidents/Day and Number of Successful Toilet Use (3-Month Follow-Up) (Toileting Data Logs)	Toileting Data Logs will be completed by participating teachers during 3 consecutive days immediately prior to a follow-up appointment at 3-months following close of intervention for both groups.	Collected 3 Calendar Months After End of Intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Rochester
• Collaborators: Vanderbilt University; Nationwide Children's Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Daniel W Mruzek, PhD, University of Rochester

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 16, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 23, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): February 24, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 21, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 19, 2018
• Last Verified: October 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Urologic Diseases; Urination Disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Elimination Disorders; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic Disorder; Enuresis
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1 R40 MC27705-01-00