Reciprocal Imitation Training and Musical Rhythm Sensitivity in Autistic Toddlers

May 18, 2026 updated by: Miriam Lense, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Musical Rhythm Sensitivity to Scaffold Social Engagement in Autism Spectrum Disorder

The primary goal of this study is to examine rhythm sensitivity as a predictor of response to naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBIs) in autistic toddlers. Toddlers receive either Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT), an evidence-based NDBI that supports children's imitation and social communication skills, or a music-enhanced version of RIT. Throughout their participation in the intervention, toddlers will complete study procedures of viewing naturalistic videos of infant-directed singing and other social scenes while eye gaze data is collected.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Social communication makes use of predictable, rhythmic behaviors and children are sensitive to the rhythm of social interaction from infancy. The goal of the current study is to investigate if social rhythm sensitivity, measured via children' entrained eye-looking when viewing videos of infant-directed singing, predicts autistic toddlers' response to naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI). Following eligibility testing and baseline assessments, children are randomized to receive either 30 sessions of Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT), an NDBI that uses evidence-based strategies to support children's imitation and social communication development, or a music-enhanced version of RIT that embeds music and rhythm within the RIT platform (meRIT). Children's imitation skills are assessed before and after the intervention programs. Children's rhythm sensitivity is assessed via repeated eye-tracking sessions throughout baseline, intervention, and two-weeks after the intervention ends.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • diagnosis of autism / autism spectrum disorder
  • 18-36 months of age

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Major hearing or visual impairment (e.g., congenital nystagmus), seizure disorder, genetic syndromes, or gestational age <=34 weeks.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT)
Children (n=20) receive 30 sessions of Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT), delivered in 40-60 minute sessions 2-3 times/week.
Behavioral: Reciprocal Imitation Training
As a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI), Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT) utilizes contingent imitation, linguistic mapping, modeling, prompting, and contingent reinforcement to train object and gesture imitation during play activities.
Experimental: Music-Enhanced Reciprocal Imitation Training (meRIT)
Children (n=20) receive 30 sessions of music-enhanced Reciprocal Imitation Training (meRIT), delivered in 40-60 minute sessions 2-3 times/week.
Behavioral: music-enhanced Reciprocal Imitation Training
Music-enhanced imitation training uses music and rhythm to enhance the predictability and salience of the strategies utilized within the Reciprocal Imitation Training platform (i.e., contingent imitation, linguistic mapping, modeling, prompting, and contingent reinforcement to train object and gesture imitation during play activities).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in rhythmically entrained eye-looking (eye-tracking)
Time Frame: Change from baseline through 2-week follow-up post-intervention
Trajectories of rhythmically entrained eye-looking to predictable and unpredictable child-directed singing assessed via passive eye-tracking.
Change from baseline through 2-week follow-up post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in overall fixation to eyes (eye-tracking)
Time Frame: Change from baseline through 2-week follow-up post-intervention
Trajectories of proportion of time spent fixating on the eyes while viewing predictable and unpredictable child-directed singing assessed via passive eye-tracking.
Change from baseline through 2-week follow-up post-intervention
Change in child elicited motor imitation
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 2-weeks follow-up after intervention
Children's performance on the Motor Imitation Scale (score 0-32). Higher scores indicate greater performance.
Change from baseline to 2-weeks follow-up after intervention
Change in child spontaneous motor imitation
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 2-weeks follow-up after intervention
Children's performance on the Unstructured Imitation Assessments (score 0-20)
Change from baseline to 2-weeks follow-up after intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Miriam Lense, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • Principal Investigator: Warren Jones, Emory University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 3, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 10, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 18, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

May 30, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 18, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • MH123029

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Subscribe