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Evaluación de un programa de educación terapéutica para mujeres embarazadas con un primer hijo diagnosticado con un trastorno del espectro autista (AUTMER)

4 de noviembre de 2026 actualizado por: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Evaluación de un programa de educación terapéutica para mujeres embarazadas con un primer hijo diagnosticado con un trastorno del espectro autista (TEA)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous set of severe developmental abnormalities of the nervous system characterized by deficits affecting social interactions and verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as the presence of restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, and atypical sensory manifestations . ASD affects approximately 1% of the general population (Elsabbagh et al., 2012). Studies of siblings of individuals with ASD show that ASD is present in 7-20% of the offspring in families where a child has had a diagnosis of ASD and this prevalence increases if there are two diagnosed children.

Several studies show the benefits of interventions targeting parents' interaction strategies in the early phases of development of infants at high risk for ASDs, in reducing the risk itself or its severity. Very early intervention, due to the presence of significant brain plasticity at these stages, may be particularly effective in changing these emerging trajectories, from a "preventive intervention" perspective that would aim to mitigate developmental risk and alter prodromal symptom trajectories, rather than eliminate a condition.

Our hypothesis is that the implementation of a specific therapeutic education program during a new pregnancy in the mother of a child with a diagnosis of ASD (MER Program) could improve the mother's well-being, increase parenting communication skills, and thereby improve interaction with the newborn at high risk for ASD. If the infant is affected, it may also reduce the symptoms of the disorder. Indirectly, it could also improve the well-being of the other parent involved in the interaction.

The M.E.R (Mères Ecoute Ressources) programme is a therapeutic education intervention aimed at mothers of children with ASD during a new pregnancy. This programme, which is being piloted in France and Europe, involves a number of dimensions, both educational and behavioural (strategies for stimulating the baby, use of specific communication and interaction tools) and psychological (reduction of stress, anxiety, etc. in the mother).

The programme comprises 8 one-to-one sessions lasting 1.5 hours every 15 days. The first and last of these are for assessment purposes, with the 6 intermediate sessions constituting the support. The structure of the programme and the sessions is based on what is recommended in therapeutic education. The sessions can take place on the hospital site or by teleconsultation (remote consultation used in the context of healthcare).

Descripción general del estudio

Estado

Reclutamiento

Condiciones

Intervención / Tratamiento

Descripción detallada

Randomized controlled trial with deferred start, French multicenter stepped-wedge type.

The start date of the intervention in each center will be done by randomization, defining 2 periods: a control period located before the start of the intervention, and an experimental period located after the start of the intervention.

This design allows the principal investigating team to train the centers associated in turn with the intervention, and to have a control group with structured follow-up but without intervention.

All subjects will be included before 26 ADT and assigned to the control or experimental group, depending on the time of inclusion and the randomization of the center to which they belong.

The follow-up will be conducted in 2 phases: 1. during pregnancy and 2. After the birth of the child.

Subjects included were pregnant women who already had a child with an ASD diagnosis, the second parent if present, and the newborn at risk for an ASD diagnosis.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of an innovative therapeutic education program (the MER program) versus control in pregnant women with a first child followed for ASD on the quality of interaction strategies of the mother-infant dyad at 10 months postpartum.

The primary endpoint was the caregiver non-directiveness subscore of the Manchester Assessment of Caregiver-infant Interaction (MACI) scale at 10 months postpartum. This subscore is both the most sensitive to intervention and predictive of ASD diagnosis.

The first secondary objective is the evaluation of the effect of the MER versus control program on:

  • maternal pregnancy-related anxiety (PRAQ-R2 score) ;
  • Anxious and depressive symptomatology and quality of life (WhoQoL-Bref score) in the mother and the second parent during pregnancy (EPDS score) and up to 20 months of age of the newborn (HAM-Anxiety and HAM-Depression scores);
  • perceived stress related to pregnancy (ALES score)
  • mother-infant interaction at 10 and 20 months (MACI score and subscore);
  • autistic signs in at-risk infants at 20 months (ADOS Toddler score);

The second secondary objective was to study variables that could impact the effect of the intervention, including

  • adherence: compliance with sessions, satisfaction of participants (PEI-Parent score) ;
  • other variables that could modulate the effect of the intervention: sociodemographic variables (socioeconomic level, family configuration, number of children); clinical profile of the mother (intellectual efficiency (Raven's PM score), psychiatric comorbidities (DIGS, SRS score)); clinical profile of the child already diagnosed (ADI-R and ADOS score; developmental level); clinical profile of the infant at risk (gestational age, MSEL, IBQ-R and ECBQ scores).

The third secondary objective was to describe the barriers and levers to the implementation of the intervention.

Characteristics related to the implementation of the intervention (recruitment, uptake, fidelity, and implementation) will be collected, as well as the profile of mothers who did not participate in the project.

Tipo de estudio

Intervencionista

Inscripción (Estimado)

165

Fase

  • No aplica

Contactos y Ubicaciones

Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.

Estudio Contacto

Copia de seguridad de contactos de estudio

Ubicaciones de estudio

      • Paris, Francia, 75019
        • Reclutamiento
        • Hôpital Robert Debré
        • Contacto:

Criterios de participación

Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.

Criterio de elegibilidad

Edades elegibles para estudiar

18 años a 70 años (Adulto, Adulto Mayor)

Acepta Voluntarios Saludables

No

Géneros elegibles para el estudio

Femenino

Descripción

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Mothers of children with a diagnosis of ASD, in pregnancy (before the 26th week of amenorrhea);
  • The diagnosis of ASD of the older child has been made, according to the DSM IV-TR or DSM 5 criteria, formalized by a diagnostic evaluation including if possible: the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule ADOS, and/or ADI
  • Informed consent from mother and sec

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of a clearly identified and unstabilized severe psychiatric disorder in the mother (confirmed by medical interview and DIGS questionnaire conducted at the time of the inclusion visit) and/or intellectual disability;
  • Engagement in another form of individual therapeutic intervention.
  • Refusal of either parent (for child assessment, primary criterion)
  • Parents not proficient in French language
  • Persons (mother or second parent) under legal protection, guardianship or trusteeship, persons deprived of liberty, under court protection, under psychiatric care, under constraint, admitted to a health or social institution for purposes other than research
  • Persons with cognitive disorders or intellectual disabilities

Plan de estudios

Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.

¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?

Detalles de diseño

  • Propósito principal: Prevención
  • Asignación: Aleatorizado
  • Modelo Intervencionista: Asignación paralela
  • Enmascaramiento: Único

Armas e Intervenciones

Grupo de participantes/brazo
Intervención / Tratamiento
Sin intervención: control group

Pregnant women followed by the center in the period before the intervention is implemented (the start of which is determined by randomization)

Experimental: experimental group

Pregnant women followed by the center during the period after the intervention is implemented (the start of which is determined by randomization)

The M.E.R program is a therapeutic education intervention for mothers of children with ASD during a new pregnancy. This program, which is a pilot in France and in Europe, involves several dimensions, both pedagogical and behavioral (strategies for stimulating the baby, use of specific communication and interaction tools) and psychological (reduction of stress, anxiety, etc. in the mother).

It includes 8 individual interviews of 1h30 every 15 days. The first and the last one are for evaluation purposes, the 6 intermediate sessions constitute the accompaniment. The structure of the program and the sessions are based on what is recommended in therapeutic education. The sessions can take place on the hospital site or teleconsultation (remote consultation used in the context of healthcare).

¿Qué mide el estudio?

Medidas de resultado primarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Manchester Assessment of Caregiver-infant Interaction (MACI) "caregiver non-directiveness" subscore
Periodo de tiempo: 5 months after delivery

mother-baby interaction in the experimental group versus the control group at 5 months postpartum.

This subscore is the most sensitive to intervention and predictive of ASD diagnosis.

5 months after delivery

Medidas de resultado secundarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revised2 (PRAQ-R2) subscore
Periodo de tiempo: between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation

To evaluate the effect of the MER program on maternal anxiety related to pregnancy

between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation
Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revised2 (PRAQ-R2) subscore
Periodo de tiempo: at 3 months after intervention

To evaluate the effect of the MER program on maternal anxiety related to pregnancy

at 3 months after intervention
Appraisal of Life Events Scale (ALES)
Periodo de tiempo: between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation

Perceived pregnancy-related stress in the mother.scale with a list of adjectives, rated on a five-point Likert scale)

between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation
Appraisal of Life Events Scale (ALES)
Periodo de tiempo: at 3 months after intervention

Perceived pregnancy-related stress in the mother.scale with a list of adjectives, rated on a five-point Likert scale

at 3 months after intervention
Edimburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
Periodo de tiempo: 10 months after birth

used to assess the risk of postnatal depression and is useful for identifying the presence of anxiety symptoms.The threshold retained for the French validation is 10.5, above which a depression is possible and below which the risk is very low.

10 months after birth
quality of life score-Bref (WhoQol-Bref)
Periodo de tiempo: 10 months after birth

WHOQOL-BREF includes 26 items that measure the following broad domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environment.

10 months after birth
parental anxiety score (HAM)
Periodo de tiempo: 10 months after birth

hetero-questionnaire with 14 items, measuring both the psychic (mental agitation and psychological distress) and somatic (physical complaints related to anxiety) expression of anxiety. Each item is rated on a Likert scale from 0 to 4 (total range 0-56, where <17= mild anxiety; 18-24= mild to moderate; 25-30 moderate to severe)

10 months after birth
mother's intelligence quotient
Periodo de tiempo: between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation

measured by Raven's Progressive Matrices

between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation
Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS)
Periodo de tiempo: between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation

to refine the evaluation of social difficulties in a dimensional way

between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation
Wechsler Mullen scale
Periodo de tiempo: between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation

developmental level of the ASD child

between 11 weeks and 26 weeks of gestation

Colaboradores e Investigadores

Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.

Investigadores

  • Investigador principal: Anita Beggiato, PHD, APHP

Fechas de registro del estudio

Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados ​​por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.

Fechas importantes del estudio

Inicio del estudio (Actual)

13 de mayo de 2025

Finalización primaria (Estimado)

13 de marzo de 2029

Finalización del estudio (Estimado)

13 de agosto de 2029

Fechas de registro del estudio

Enviado por primera vez

11 de octubre de 2021

Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

22 de octubre de 2021

Publicado por primera vez (Actual)

2 de noviembre de 2021

Actualizaciones de registros de estudio

Última actualización publicada (Actual)

9 de noviembre de 2026

Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

4 de noviembre de 2026

Última verificación

1 de noviembre de 2026

Más información

Términos relacionados con este estudio

Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio

Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Esta información se obtuvo directamente del sitio web clinicaltrials.gov sin cambios. Si tiene alguna solicitud para cambiar, eliminar o actualizar los detalles de su estudio, comuníquese con register@clinicaltrials.gov. Tan pronto como se implemente un cambio en clinicaltrials.gov, también se actualizará automáticamente en nuestro sitio web. .

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