Diné Parents Taking Action Trial

Not Applicable

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Developmental Disability

• Registration Number: NCT07176481
• Lead Sponsor: Northern Arizona University

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a family support program helps Navajo parents and guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental concerns. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Is the program something families find useful and easy to take part in?

* Does the program raise parents' knowledge and confidence in using strategies that support their child's development?

* Does the program help children improve in areas such as social communication?

Researchers will compare two groups:

* One group of parents will join the program right away.

* The other group will join the program after waiting.

Participants will:

* Be randomly placed into the "immediate" or "waitlist control" group using simple randomization.

* Take part in sessions led by trained Navajo Family Advisors, who are parents of children with ASD.

* Learn and practice strategies they can use at home to support their child

* Answer surveys about their experience, knowledge, and their child's progress

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-08-01
• Status Verified: 2025-08
• Study First Submitted: 2025-09-09
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-09-09
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-09-09
• Study First Posted: 2025-09-16
• Last Update Posted: 2025-09-16
• Primary Completion: 2026-03-31
• Study Completion: 2026-03-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 29

Inclusion Criteria

• Parent/legal guardian of a child between 2 and 12 years of age.
• Child received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) OR a developmental disability.
• Parent/guardian identifies as Navajo/Diné.

Exclusion Criteria

• Parent/guardian is 17 years or younger.
• Child is 13 years or older.
• Child did not receive an ASD diagnosis or a developmental disability diagnosis.
• Parent/guardian does not identify as Navajo/Diné.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Parent Knowledge of Evidence-Based Strategies	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Mean score on a parent-report survey assessing comprehension and confidence using strategies taught in the program.
Child Social Communication	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Mean score on the Social Communication Questionnaire (Rutter, Bailey, \& Lord, 2003), a parent-report survey assessing their child's social communication skills.
Frequency Using Intervention Strategies	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Mean score on a parent-report survey assessing the frequency of use of the learned intervention strategies.
Family Outcomes	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Mean score on the Family Outcomes Survey-Revised, a parent-reported measure of their child's strengths, needs, and abilities (Waschl et al., 2021).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Child problem behavior	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Mean score on the Nisonger Child Behavior Rating Form, an assessment of problematic behavior in children (Aman et al., 1996).
Service Use	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Number and type of services the child has received.
Autism Parenting Stress	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Mean score on the Autism Parenting Stress Index (Silva \& Schalock, 2012).
Parent Health Literacy	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Mean score on the BRIEF Health Literacy Measure (Sand-Jecklin, \& Coyle, 2014).
Parent Depression	Immediate intervention group: Baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 2-months post-intervention. Waitlist intervention group: Baseline, 2-months after baseline, and 2-months after second assessment.	Parent-reported depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Health Sciences - Northern Arizona University; 🇺🇸 Flagstaff, Arizona, United States