Neuromotor Task Training in Autistic Children With Motor Difficulties

NCT07797439 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: GHNE-NTT-TSA-SCED2026-A00093-48
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 12
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical study is to learn whether Neuromotor Task Training (NTT) may help improve functional motor skills in autistic children who have motor difficulties. The main question it aims to answer is: Does Neuromotor Task Training help autistic children improve a motor skill that is difficult for them in daily life? This study will include autistic children with motor difficulties. Each child will work on one functional motor skill chosen according to their needs and daily-life goals. Examples may include skills such as catching a ball, jumping rope, putting on a coat, or another meaningful motor task. Participants will take part in an initial assessment of their motor abilities. They will then choose, with their family and the researcher, a functional motor skill to work on. The selected skill will be assessed repeatedly before, during, and after the training period. Participants will receive Neuromotor Task Training sessions focused on this skill. They will also be followed after the training period to see whether the motor skill is maintained. Neuromotor Task Training is a task-oriented rehabilitation approach. It focuses on practicing meaningful motor skills in conditions that are progressively adapted to the child. The task, the environment, and the feedback provided by the therapist may be adjusted during the sessions to support motor learning. This study uses a single-case experimental design. This means that each participant's progress is measured repeatedly over time. The researchers will examine whether motor performance changes after the start of the training and whether these changes are maintained after the training period.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Keywords

Developmental Coordination Disorder; Motor Skills; Motor Difficulties; Motor Learning; Motor Rehabilitation; Neuromotor Task Training; Single-Case Experimental Design; Task-Oriented Training

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Performance on the Individualized Functional Motor Skill

  Motor performance will be assessed using one predefined, task-specific, directly observable quantitative indicator for each individualized functional motor skill. Depending on the selected skill, the indicator may be the number or proportion of successful trials, completion time, accuracy, or another objective task-specific measure. The indicator and the direction indicating improvement will be defined before baseline and will remain unchanged throughout baseline, intervention, and follow-up. Each skill and participant will be analyzed separately in the original unit of measurement; data from different task-specific indicators will not be aggregated.

  Once weekly during the 6- to 9-week baseline phase, at each of the 10 intervention sessions, and once weekly during the 5-week post-intervention follow-up phase.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Goal Attainment Scaling Attainment Level

  At baseline goal setting, after completion of the 10-session intervention, and at the end of the 5-week follow-up phase.

Study Arms (1)

Neuromotor Task Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be enrolled in three successive cohorts of four children. All participants will receive Neuromotor Task Training focused on an individualized functional motor skill. The cohort structure is used to support replication within the single-case experimental design. It does not correspond to different intervention groups.

Behavioral: Neuromotor Task Training

Interventions

Neuromotor Task Training BEHAVIORAL

Neuromotor Task Training is a task-oriented rehabilitation approach focused on the practice of meaningful functional motor skills. The therapist analyzes the selected task and adapts task constraints, environmental conditions, practice organization, and feedback to support motor learning. In this study, each participant will receive Neuromotor Task Training sessions targeting an individualized motor skill selected before the intervention phase.

Neuromotor Task Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Years - 10 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Children aged 6 to 10 years.
• Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
• Presence of motor difficulties documented by clinical assessment and/or standardized motor assessment.
• Ability to understand and participate in the proposed motor training sessions.
• Written informed consent from the child's legal representative(s).
• Child assent whenever possible, according to age and level of understanding.
• Participation in the usual care pathway at the investigating center.

You may not qualify if:

• Intelligence quotient below 70, when documented, or severe cognitive impairment preventing understanding of the tasks or participation in the training sessions.
• Medical, neurological, orthopedic, or sensory condition that would contraindicate participation in motor training.
• Uncontrolled epilepsy or any unstable medical condition that could interfere with participation.
• Severe behavioral difficulties making repeated assessment or motor training impossible.
• Ongoing participation in another interventional study that could interfere with the outcomes of this study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Groupe Hospitalier Nord-Essonne: lead

Study Sites (1)

Groupe Hospitalier Nord-Essonne

Bures-sur-Yvette, Essone, 91440, France

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder; Motor Skills Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Aurélien D'Ignazio, MSc

  Groupe Hospitalier Nord-Essonne

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Aurélien D'Ignazio, MSc (PhD studend)

CONTACT

+33 6 89 56 66 43; aurelien.d-ignazio@polesante.eu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: This is an open-label, single-arm study. When feasible, video-recorded motor performances will be rated by an external outcomes assessor who is not involved in the intervention sessions and is masked to the study phase and timing of the assessment.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Single-case experimental design using a concurrent multiple-baseline design replicated across three successive cohorts of four participants. Within each cohort, introduction of Neuromotor Task Training will be staggered across participants, with baseline phases lasting approximately 6, 7, 8, and 9 weeks. All participants will receive the intervention targeting an individualized functional motor skill. Each participant will serve as their own control through repeated measurements collected during baseline, intervention, and follow-up phases.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 24, 2026
• First Posted: September 1, 2026
• Study Start: October 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027
• Last Updated: September 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

FR (1)