An interventional study of Speech-Gesture combinations in Autism Disorder, Language Development Disorders and ADHD, sponsored by Montana State University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 2 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-08.
Sponsored by Montana State University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
This research study investigates how hand gestures can support language comprehension and communication skills of hearing speaking, non-speaking, and/or minimally verbal individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), who are especially disadvantaged by the lack of accessible services in their rural communities. Individuals with other cognitive profiles, including Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), ADHD, Dyslexia, and others are welcome too. The study uses methods of eye tracking and recording of brain activity to understand how hand gestures adapted from signs from American Sign Language, such as [cry], can promote successful understanding of words like "cry". The overarching goal is to help families effectively utilize gestures to support communication with their children.
The investigators are researching how hand gestures and signs from American Sign Language influence language comprehension, and whether gestures/signs can support communication in children and adults with social and language impairments.
The investigators use non-invasive brain imaging methods (skin-contact only). One is EEG - electroencephalography - which records electrical brain activity on scale of milliseconds. Another is fNIRS (functional near infrared spectroscopy) which shines infrared light through scalp and measures blood flow to the brain areas which are more active during a task. The researchers employ a protocol that uses both neuroimaging methods at the same time. This involves wearing a cloth helmet, and having a lot of wires attached to the surface of the helmet. The EEG wires need gel to be put into hair to pick up the brain signal.
For psychological measurements, there are three rounds of tasks. One set of tasks about language and gestures happens as passive viewing of a computer screen with pictures of common objects and videos of a person gesturing and speaking. For example, see a picture for a dog, and hear "dog", and see gesture for "dog". There's no response required here.
Another set of tasks is in picture books to evaluate language comprehension and IQ for solving puzzles, if the participant has capacity to engage with the picture books, if not - that's optional.
Third task is 3-5 questionnaires for adults/caregivers about demographics, diagnoses (if any), experience with services, and autism, ADHD, and communication.
All together the study takes at least 2-3 hours of research time per participant, plus breaks. Both children and adults are welcome participate.
1,030 studies on the registry are indexed under Autistic Disorder; 266 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 50 is close to the median of 49 across 811 interventional studies indexed under Autistic Disorder.
Browse Autistic Disorder studies →Montana State University is the lead sponsor of 42 studies on the registry; 10 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
OR 1.2 No diagnoses of ASD or DLD for unrelated control typically-developing participants.
2. Normal hearing and normal vision (or corrected to normal with glasses or contacts).
3. Ages 2+. 4. English as the dominant language of caregivers. 5. Caregivers who self-identify as living in a rural area. 6. The ability to verbally or physically respond is optional.
Exclusion Criteria:
Behavioral: Speech-Gesture combinations
this is a pretest, test, posttest evaluation of language comprehension with and without gestures, to see if gestures can improve language comprehension
EEG/ERP brain response
In a pretest-test-postest set up, the researchers measure participants' EEG/ERP (electroencephalography/event related potentials) signals in microvolts first prior to exposure to gestures, just with visual animations and auditory words; then the investigators expose participants to visual gestures with auditory words; and finally participants are exposed to animations and auditory words again, to see if gestures contributed to any changes in EEG/ERP.
Time frame: from Enrollment to completion of study protocol within 3 months
fNIRS brain response
In a pretest-test-postest set up, the researchers measure participants' brain activation via blood flow response using fNIRS (functional near infrared spectroscopy). The investigators identify whether language or non-language brain areas are activated during animation, speech, or gestures.
Time frame: from enrollment to completion of protocol within 3 months
Plan to share: Yes — de-identified individual participant data, including language and cognitive evaluations, along with EEG and fNIRS.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form, Analytic code
Time frame: 6 months after peer-reviewed publications from this study are made public
Access criteria: appropriate data use agreements will need to be put in place
Started Oct 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2027, 26 months after the start.
Of 354 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Autistic Disorder, half reached primary completion within 26 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 14 and three quarters within 52. This study's planned 26 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 366 studies reached it within 26 months; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 52.
Since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026, the dates moved once, on Oct 8, 2026: start Jul 2025 → Oct 2025, primary completion Dec 2026 → Dec 2027 and completion Jul 2027 → Dec 2027.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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