Virtual family navigation to help rural toddlers with autism start intervention sooner
Tests phone and video family navigation for rural toddlers with autism, compared with written materials.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Resources for Optimizing Outcomes in Toddlers on the Spectrum
Key facts
- Where
- Carrboro, United StatesSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 1 and 99 years old?
Source: NCT07086781, who can take part
Where in United States
- Carolina Institute for Developmental DisabilitiesCarrboro, United StatesTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Trial code
- NCT07086781
- Record updated
- 29 October 2025
- Original description
The goal of this clinical trial is to assess whether telehealth-based Family Navigation (FN) expedites enrollment (e.g., reduces time in days) in community-based autism intervention for toddlers under the age of 4 living in Rural NC after their initial diagnosis of autism.Read full original descriptionShow less
Expediting Access to Autism Specific Intervention for Young Autistic Children Living in Rural North Carolina: a Pilot Study
The goal of this clinical trial is to assess whether telehealth-based Family Navigation (FN) expedites enrollment (e.g., reduces time in days) in community-based autism intervention for toddlers under the age of 4 living in Rural NC after their initial diagnosis of autism.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does Family Navigation decrease the time to initiation of intervention for rural toddlers with autism?
Does Family Navigation improve developmental outcomes at 18 months post-diagnosis of autism?
Does Family Navigation improve caregiver well-being?
Caregivers in the Family Navigation condition will receive 4 research-based individual sessions with a trained navigator to support them in identifying and enrolling in recommended autism early intervention services. All navigation sessions will be delivered virtually via phone/Zoom.
Researchers will compare participants who receive family navigation to participants who receive the standard of care (educational materials) to see if family navigation outperforms the standard of care.
Inclusion: Children up to 48 months who have a new diagnosis of autism (within the last month) or who are waiting for a diagnosis of autism AND their caregiver; Live in North Carolina, in one of the 78 rural counties; Caregiver must be over the age of 18; The caregiver must speak conversationally fluent English.
Exclusion: Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is ruled out in the child; No access to a telephone or internet connection for phone calls or video conferencing.