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Early Detection and Referral for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the Maternal and Child Protection Services

Randomized Pragmatic, Cluster, Stepped-wedge Trial of Early Detection and Referral for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the Maternal and Child Protection Services for Care Before 1 Year of Follow-up

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05815095
Enrollment
10400
Registered
2023-04-18
Start date
2025-04-14
Completion date
2032-04-14
Last updated
2025-06-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder, Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Keywords

Autism Spectrum Disorder / diagnosis, Neurodevelopmental Disorders /diagnosis, Infant, Prospective Study

Brief summary

This study aims to compare two screening strategies for identifying infants with a potential risk of Autism Spectrum and Neurodevelopmental Disorders to provide early access to care and increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome

Detailed description

This prospective cohort study is performed at several Maternal and Child Protection Services in France. It aims to early detect infants under 12 months of age with a developmental gap compared to that expected for their age. The first consultation will occur at the same time as the infant's usual medical follow-up at the Maternal and Child Protection Service (usually vaccination in the fourth month and developmental examination at nine months). Two strategies will be evaluated during this visit to assess the infant's neurodevelopmental characteristics. In the first one, a health professional will assess the infant's neurodevelopmental characteristics through routine practice evaluations, such as motor skills, vocalizations, babbling, and social interactions. In the second one, the PREAUT grid will be used for screening of screening for autism spectrum disorder. Patients with abnormal results in these evaluations would be referred to a specialized center early for advice and treatment if necessary. We will consider an early referral as the referral of infants to an adapted consultation within the month following the first consultation. Also, these patients will be assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y and T and the QUALIN score. After 12 months of follow-up, data regarding the received treatments of patients who were addressed to a specialized center will be performed. At 24 and 36 months of follow-up, all the included patients will be assessed with the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-up instrument (M-CHAT-R/F) ,and the IDE ( the French version of the Child Development Inventory). In case of an abnormal result of the M-CHAT-R/F, the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) will be administered. In case of an abnormal result of the IDE, the Brunet-Lézine scale will be administered. Finally, the French health insurance claims databases will be used to evaluate the care pathway of all included patients up to 48 months of the child.

Interventions

OTHERPREAUT grid

Patient with abnormal results in this evaluation would be referred to a specialized center early for advice and treatment if necessary

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal Creteil
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Months to 12 Months
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

in * Infants between 4 and 9 months of age followed up in the participating Maternal and Child Protection Services for the fourth and ninth-month mandatory vaccinations * Availability of a personnel telephone for at least one parent * Information to the parents for data collection and the active follow-up of the child until 36 months and express consent to participate in the research * Affiliation to a social security system or benefiting from the Medical assistance of the state * Mastery of a minimum of French according to the principal investigator or the presence of a French-speaking relative

Exclusion criteria

* Infant with a severe neurological pathology such as encephalopathy * Refusal to participate in the study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Proportion of children at 24 months with an Autism Spectrum Disorder or Neurodevelopmental Disorder diagnosis who received care before the age of oneAt 2 years of age

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Predictive performance of the PREAUT grid (at four months and nine months) compared to the usual diagnosisAt 2 and 3 years of age
Association between ASD-NDD diagnosis and neonatal or familial risk factorsAt 2 and 3 years of age of child's referral to the Medical psychological center
Quality of life assessed by the QUALIN scoreAt inclusion in Maternal and Child Protection Services or at Medical-psychological center and at 2 and 3 years of age
Measurement of the parents' psychological state at the time of the child's referral to the Medical psychological centerAt a Medical-psychological center and at 2 and 3 years of age
Impact on the family life (IOFS) of a child diagnosed with risk of Autism Spectrum and Neurodevelopmental DisordersAt 2 and 3 years of age
Effectiveness of two screening strategies on the occurrence severity of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD)At 2 and 3 years of age
Evaluation of the implementation of infant care in the Medical-psychological centerThrough study completion, an average of 4 years
Qualitative study of the incentives and obstacles of the screening and early referral strategy with the Maternal and Child Protection Service's workersThrough study completion, an average of 4 years
Qualitative study of the screening and early referral strategy with parentsThrough study completion, an average of 4 years
Description of the practice of identification by the Maternal and Child Protection Services and referral to the Medical-psychological centerAt the inclusion, at the end of inclusion and at the late visit
Description of the care pathway in the two groupsAt 4 years of the child
Evaluation of the implementation of the new model of systematic screening of infants in Maternal and Child Protection Services and systematic referral to the Medical-psychological centerThrough study completion, an average of 4 years

Countries

France

Contacts

Primary ContactCatherine DELMAS, MD
catherine.delmas@chicreteil.fr01 47 06 49 25
Backup ContactCamille JUNG, MD
camille.jung@chicreteil.fr01 57 02 22 68

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026