🏛️ Verified NIH Record • Updated 2026-06-15

Refinements of Functional Communication Training (NCT04045600)

Stimulus Control Refinements of Functional Communication Training

🟢 Recruiting Observational / Diagnostic 🧠 Behavioral & Psychological Program Sponsor: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)

Although treatments for problem behavior, like functional communication training (FCT), can be highly effective in the clinic, changes in the way the FCT is implemented (e.g., when transferring treatment to the home, when teachers implement treatment with poor fidelity) can result in treatment relapse. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether using treatment signals and gradually introducing materials from natural contexts can help mitigate treatment relapse during context changes and poor treatment-integrity scenarios.

Who can join: To join this study, participants generally need to meet the listed inclusion criteria (5 items) and avoid the listed exclusions (7 items).

Location: Children's Specialized Hospital - Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services — Somerset, New Jersey

Age range: 3 Years to 17 Years

🧪 Interventions in This Study

  • Trad FCT (BEHAVIORAL)
  • Mult FCT (BEHAVIORAL)
  • Mult FCT + Stimulus Fading (BEHAVIORAL)

📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener

Instant Checklist

Check every box below. If you can check all of them, you may meet the study's basic screening requirements (final eligibility is confirmed by the site team).

Usually NOT eligible if any of the following apply:

  • Exclusion Criteria:
  • Patients who do not meet the inclusion criteria
  • Patients currently receiving 15 or more hours per week of treatment for their destructive behavior
  • DSM-5 diagnosis of Rett syndrome or other degenerative conditions (e.g., inborn error of metabolism)
  • A comorbid health condition or major mental disorder that would interfere with study participation
  • Occurrence of SIB during study assessments that presents a risk of serious or permanent harm (e.g., detached retinas) based on our routine clinical-risk assessment
  • Patients requiring drug-treatment changes, but the experimenters will invite these patients to participate if they meet inclusion criteria after drug regimen is stable.

🔍 Extracted verbatim from the official NIH eligibility criteria. Always confirm with the study coordinator.

📍 All Participating Trial Locations (1 Sites)

  • Children's Specialized Hospital - Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services — Somerset, New Jersey

📞 Contact the Study Coordinator

Phone: (848) 800-8503

Email: wayne.fisher@rutgers.edu

Coordinator details come directly from the registered NIH protocol. Confirm the study is still recruiting before traveling.

💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights

  • 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
  • Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
  • Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.

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💡 How to Participate

  1. Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
  2. Contact the study coordinator using the phone/email above.
  3. Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
  4. Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.
🏛️ View Official NIH Record ↗