Exploring Lived Experiences of Families of Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy(SMA) Type 1 Regarding Feeding and Communication

May 29, 2026 updated by: Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Lived Experiences of Families of Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1: A Qualitative Investigation Into Feeding and Communication

Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (SMA )Type 1 is a severe, early-onset neuromuscular condition that typically leads to profound weakness and impaired bulbar function-affecting swallowing, feeding, speech, and airway protection. Historically, bulbar decline contributed significantly to early morbidity and mortality.

The advent of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) such as nusinersen, zolgensma and risdiplam (also known as Spinraza, Zolgensma, and Evrysdi) sinersinhas altered the clinical course of SMA Type 1, with emerging evidence of motor improvement and increased survival. However, the impact of these therapies on bulbar function remains poorly understood, and standardised tools for its assessment are lacking.

Qualitative research which uses interviews with parents and carers offers an opportunity to capture nuanced caregiver perspectives, identify meaningful functional outcomes, and explore daily lived experiences in a way quantitative tools currently cannot.

This study will investigate the lived experiences of families managing feeding and communication in children with SMA Type 1.

The research will also aim to

1 Identify emotional, social issues experienced by families and practical support needs related to feeding and communication.

2. Provide insights that can inform healthcare interventions and support

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

Methodology This study will adopt a qualitative phenomenological approach to gain in-depth insights into the experiences of families of children with SMA Type 1. It is anticipated that the study will interview 10-15 participants, the numbers will be determined by how many parents need to be interviewed to reach the point of saturation i.e. the point at which no new themes arise. The interviews will be aim to be inductive and discursive.

Prior to the interview parents will have received the information leaflet and consent form. A broad interview guide will be used to enable the interviewer to ensure all areas are covered within each interview, whilst providing flexibility to ensure all participant feedback is gathered. The interviews will be recorded digitally.

Participants The study will be advertised on the SMAUK website and their other social media platforms. Families will be invited to contact the CI if they are interested in taking part. Participants will be caregivers (parents, guardians) of children diagnosed with SMA Type 1.

The CI will then contact the potential participants and share the full information sheet and consent form. The participant will then complete and return the consent form and the PI will contact them to arrange a time for the interview. Interviews are expected to last approximately 60 minutes.

Data Collection The CI will carry out semi-structured interviews conducted via video conferencing, focusing on feeding and communication experiences. Interviews will be recorded, and questions will be based upon a broad interview guide to ensure all key areas are covered whilst being flexible to enable participants to share their experiences.

Data Analysis Recordings from interviews will be transcribed using Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke 2006)Thematic analysis software will be used to support the identification of recurring patterns and themes. Coding consistency will be checked by another researcher who will recode an anonymised random sample of the transcriptions.

Ethical Considerations: Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The study will adhere to ethical guidelines to ensure confidentiality, voluntary participation, and sensitivity to emotional distress.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

15

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 Contact Backup

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
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Parent/carers of children with SMA1 who have had a disease modifying treatment

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Parents/guardians of children with a diagnosis of SMA1 who have received any one or more disease modifying therapies[CE7.1][BA7.2][AB7.3]
  • Participants need to be able to carry out interview in English In addition to parents, grandparents or other relatives with full parental responsibility will be included

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Parents/carers who require an interpreter will not be included within the study for reasons of time and cost and because parents may feel less able to be open and honest when communicating with the researcher through a third party.
  • Primary carer who is a foster carer or corporate parent (i.e. a looked after child) as they are not likely to have the same decision-making 'freedoms'.

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

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Parents/guardians of children with a diagnosis of SMA1
Parents/guardians of children with a diagnosis of SMA1 who have received any one or more disease modifying therapies Participants need to be able to carry out interview in English In addition to parents, grandparents or other relatives with full parental responsibility will be included

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Qualitative themes describing caregiver experiences of feeding and communication in children with SMA Type 1.
Time Frame: From interview to completion of thematic analysis 2 weeks later
The primary outcome is the set of emergent qualitative themes describing caregiver experiences of feeding and communication in children with SMA Type 1. Data will be collected via a single semi-structured interview per participant (approximately one hour) conducted post-consent, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis (NVivo) following completion of data collection.
From interview to completion of thematic analysis 2 weeks later

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Broader issues
Time Frame: From interview to 2 weeks after when thematic analysis is completed

Social, emotional, and practical challenges related to feeding and communication.

Caregiver perceptions of bulbar function following disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).

Identification of perceived barriers and support systems impacting feeding and communication, assessed during the same single interview session and analysed thematically.
From interview to 2 weeks after when thematic analysis is completed

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

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 (Estimated)

June 19, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 29, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 358595

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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.

Clinical Trials on Spinal Muscular Atrophy 1

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Guinea

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe