ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT07763067Updated Aug 13, 2026

Acceptability and Outcomes of an Online Parent-Mediated Intervention for Young Autistic Children

An interventional study of Online Group-Based Parent-Mediated Intervention (OYNA) in Autism Spectrum Disorder, sponsored by Herguner Therapy Private Clinic. Completed at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 2 Years to 6 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-13.

Sponsored by Herguner Therapy Private Clinic · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 3 years 10 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Oct 2022, registered Aug 2026).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
55
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
2 Years to 6 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This preliminary single-arm pre-post interventional study was designed to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary clinical outcomes of an 8-week online group-based parent-mediated intervention (OYNA) for parents of young autistic children. Mothers and fathers independently completed assessments of their child's social communication skills and their own psychological distress at baseline and immediately after the intervention. The study was designed to examine pre-post changes in children's social communication and parental psychological distress and to compare maternal and paternal assessments at both time points. Parent satisfaction with the program was assessed following the intervention, and demographic and clinical factors associated with parent satisfaction were also examined.

Read the detailed description

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent difficulties in social communication and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. Parent-mediated interventions aim to equip caregivers with strategies that can be incorporated into everyday interactions with their children. Online group-based delivery may facilitate access to such interventions by reducing geographical and logistical barriers.

The OYNA program is an 8-week online group-based parent-mediated intervention for parents of young autistic children. The program incorporates psychoeducation, behavioral and developmental strategies, video-based coaching, therapist feedback, and structured home practice to support parents in applying intervention strategies during everyday interactions with their children.

This preliminary single-arm pre-post interventional study was designed to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary clinical outcomes of the OYNA program. Both mothers and fathers participated in the assessment process and independently completed measures concerning their child and their own psychological well-being. Children's social communication skills were assessed using the Social Communication Checklist-Revised (SCC-R), and parental psychological distress was assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) at baseline and immediately after the intervention.

The study was designed to examine changes in SCC-R and DASS-21 scores from baseline to post-intervention. Maternal and paternal SCC-R and DASS-21 scores were also compared at baseline and post-intervention to examine differences between parental reports. Agreement between maternal and paternal ratings of children's social communication was additionally evaluated.

Following completion of the intervention, mothers and fathers completed a Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire assessing satisfaction with the program, perceived benefits for their child, confidence in applying the strategies learned during the intervention, and their overall evaluation of the program. Maternal and paternal satisfaction scores were compared.

Finally, the study examined demographic and clinical factors associated with parent satisfaction.Child- and parent-related demographic and clinical characteristics, baseline parental psychological distress, and change in children's social communication were evaluated as potential factors associated with parent satisfaction.

02

Conditions studied

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

Keywords

  • autism spectrum disorder
  • parent-mediated intervention
  • telehealth
  • parent coaching
  • social communication
  • acceptability
  • early intervention
  • Türkiye
03

In context

Autism Spectrum Disorder

1,724 studies on the registry are indexed under Autism Spectrum Disorder; 500 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 55 is close to the median of 52 across 1,368 interventional studies indexed under Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Browse Autism Spectrum Disorder studies →

Lead sponsor

Herguner Therapy Private Clinic is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years to 6 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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.

Inclusion criteria

  • Confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to criteria
  • Child aged 2-6 years
  • Parent willingness to participate in all intervention sessions
  • Participation of the same parent throughout the intervention program
  • Agreement not to initiate another intervention program during the study period

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of medical conditions that could affect development, including genetic disorders, neurological disorders, or hearing impairment
  • Participation in another structured intervention program during the study period
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

DSM diagnostic criteria

The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
55 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    OYNA Intervention Group

    Participants received the 8-week online group-based parent-mediated intervention (OYNA). The program consisted of weekly online group sessions including psychoeducation, behavioral and developmental strategies, video-based coaching and feedback, and structured home practice. Parents were supported in applying the strategies during everyday interactions and activities with their children.

    Behavioral: Online Group-Based Parent-Mediated Intervention (OYNA)

Interventions

  • BehavioralOnline Group-Based Parent-Mediated Intervention (OYNA)

    The OYNA program was an 8-week online group-based parent-mediated intervention for parents of young autistic children. The intervention consisted of weekly online group sessions incorporating psychoeducation, behavioral and developmental strategies, therapist guidance, video-based coaching and feedback, and structured home practice. Parents were taught strategies to support their children's social communication and developmental skills and were encouraged to apply these strategies during everyday interactions and routines.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Child Social Communication Assessed by the Social Communication Checklist-Revised (SCC-R)

    The Social Communication Checklist-Revised (SCC-R) is a 70-item parent-report measure used to assess social communication abilities in young children. It includes four domains: Social Engagement, Expressive Communication, Receptive Communication, and Imitation/Play Skills. Items are rated on a three-point scale, with higher scores indicating better social communication abilities. Mothers and fathers independently completed the SCC-R for the same child at baseline and immediately after the intervention. Changes in the SCC-R total score and domain scores from baseline to post-intervention were evaluated, with an increase in scores indicating improvement in social communication skills.

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Parental Psychological Distress Assessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21)

    The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) is a 21-item self-report measure used to assess parental psychological distress. It consists of three 7-item subscales assessing depression, anxiety, and stress. Each item is rated on a 4-point scale from 0 to 3. Subscale scores were multiplied by 2, resulting in possible scores ranging from 0 to 42 for each subscale and from 0 to 126 for the total score. Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress. Mothers and fathers independently completed the DASS-21 at baseline and immediately after the intervention. Changes in the DASS-21 total and subscale scores from baseline to post-intervention were evaluated separately for mothers and fathers.

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

  2. Parent Satisfaction With the OYNA Intervention Assessed by the Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire

    Parent satisfaction with the intervention was assessed using a 13-item Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire administered immediately after completion of the intervention. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5, resulting in a total score ranging from 13 to 65. Higher total scores indicate greater satisfaction with the intervention. The questionnaire assesses parents' perceptions of the usefulness and applicability of the intervention strategies, satisfaction with the program and their child's progress, perceived improvements in their child's social communication and developmental skills, increased confidence in supporting their child, and overall satisfaction with the intervention. Mothers and fathers completed the questionnaire independently.

    Time frame: Immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

  3. Comparison of Maternal and Paternal Social Communication Checklist-Revised (SCC-R) Scores

    The Social Communication Checklist-Revised (SCC-R) is a 70-item parent-report measure used to assess social communication abilities in young children. It includes four domains: Social Engagement, Expressive Communication, Receptive Communication, and Imitation/Play Skills. Items are rated on a three-point scale, with higher scores indicating better social communication abilities. Mothers and fathers independently completed the SCC-R for the same child. Maternal and paternal SCC-R total scores were compared at baseline and immediately after the intervention. Agreement between maternal and paternal SCC-R ratings was also evaluated.

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

  4. Comparison of Maternal and Paternal Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) Scores

    The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) is a 21-item self-report measure assessing depression, anxiety, and stress. It consists of three 7-item subscales. Each item is rated from 0 to 3, and subscale scores were multiplied by 2. Each subscale therefore ranges from 0 to 42, and the total score ranges from 0 to 126. Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress. Mothers and fathers independently completed the DASS-21. Maternal and paternal DASS-21 total scores were compared at baseline and immediately after the intervention.

    Time frame: Baseline and immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

  5. Comparison of Maternal and Paternal Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire Scores

    Parent satisfaction with the intervention was assessed using a 13-item Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5, resulting in a total score ranging from 13 to 65. Higher total scores indicate greater satisfaction with the intervention. Mothers and fathers independently completed the questionnaire immediately after the intervention. Maternal and paternal total satisfaction scores were compared.

    Time frame: Immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

  6. Factors Associated With Parent Satisfaction With the OYNA Intervention

    Parent satisfaction with the intervention was assessed using a 13-item Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire administered immediately after completion of the intervention. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5, resulting in a total score ranging from 13 to 65, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction with the intervention. Factors associated with the Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire total score were examined using hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis. Child age, child sex, and weekly hours of outside educational intervention were entered in the first block as demographic and clinical variables. Baseline parental psychological distress, assessed using the DASS-21 total score, and change in children's social communication, assessed using the SCC-R total score from baseline to post-intervention, were entered in the second block to examine their additional contribution to parent satisfaction.

    Time frame: Immediately after completion of the 8-week intervention

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Sabri Hergüner Private Clinic
    Çankaya, Ankara 06530, Turkey (Türkiye)
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Oct 2022 to primary completion in Dec 2022, 2 months.

Of 800 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Autism Spectrum Disorder, half reached primary completion within 25 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 48. This study's 2 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 823 studies reached it within 25 months; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 47.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Aug 8, 2026
First posted
Aug 13, 2026
StartActual
Oct 3, 2022
Primary completionActual
Dec 24, 2022
CompletionActual
Dec 24, 2022
Last update
Aug 13, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 13, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07763067
Lead sponsor
Herguner Therapy Private Clinic
Responsible party
Sabri Hergüner (Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Herguner Therapy Private Clinic) — Principal investigator
First posted
Aug 13, 2026
Start date
Oct 3, 2022
Primary completion
Dec 24, 2022
Completion
Dec 24, 2022
Last update
Aug 13, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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