View clinical trials related to Autism.
Filter by:In addition to the core symptoms, children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit disruptive behavior problems including irritability, tantrums, noncompliance, and aggression. The purpose of this study is to investigate cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for disruptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability. This pilot study will include children with ASD and IQ between 55 and 85 in an open study of CBT. CBT is modified in this study to reduce complexity of activities during therapy sessions but retains all key elements and principles of CBT. Assessments of irritability and disruptive behavior will include clinical interviews, parent ratings and child self-report measures. Study participants will be asked to complete functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate biomarkers of social perception and emotion regulation before and after CBT.
Under double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over conditions, the short-term effects of use of A1 beta casein free milk (a2 milk) and milk containing A1 beta casein will be compared in a sample of pre-pubescent boys diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with concurrent features of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
This is a single site, prospective, randomized, double-blind study of a single intravenous autologous or allogeneic, unrelated cord blood (CB) infusion in children ages 2-7 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants will be randomly assigned to Sequence A, consisting of a single infusion of CB cells at baseline followed 6 months later by a single infusion of placebo, or Sequence B, consisting of an infusion of placebo at baseline followed 6 months later by an infusion of CB cells. All participants will ultimately be treated with CB cells at some point during the study. Participants with an available qualified autologous CB unit will receive autologous cells, and those without a suitable autologous CB unit available will receive cells from a ≥4/6 HLA-matched, ABO-matched allogeneic, unrelated donor CB unit from the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank. All infusions will be double-blinded. The primary outcomes will be assessed 6 months after the initial infusion in the sequence. Additional testing for secondary exploratory analyses will be performed at 12 months. Duration of study participation will be 12 months from the time of baseline infusion.
Autism is a well-recognized neurodevelopmental disorder severely affecting the health of children. While the unclear neurobiological basis of autism and the lack of effective medication, the most commonly used approach for treatment is behavioral intervention. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the intervention therapy remains incompletely understood. The current project aims to explore the impacts of different early behavioral intervention methods on brain plasticity of autism using multimodal MRI technique and provide guidelines for the intervention and treatment of autism by evaluating the efficiency of these methods.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a prebiotic (BGOS) on gut microbiota and metabolites in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Glutamatergic transmission exploration using PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging in autism compared to Fragile-X Syndrome ( FXS) and Healthy Volunteers
The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which Project TEAM (Teens making Environment and Activity Modifications) is an effective, socially valid, and feasible intervention that prepares youth with developmental disabilities ages 14-21 to respond to environmental barriers and increases participation in school, work, and the community. Project TEAM is a manualized intervention co- facilitated by a disability advocate and a licensed professional. The intervention includes eight group sessions and two experiential learning field trips. In addition, young adults with disabilities serve as peer mentors on field trips and contact youth weekly to support attainment of goals. Project TEAM outcomes are to: increase youths' knowledge of environmental factors and modification strategies; reduce the impact of environmental barriers on participation; increase self-efficacy and self-determination; and increase participation in a personal activity goal in the area of education, employment, or community life. This project builds on a participatory action research partnership with disability community stakeholders to address the following research questions: (1) To what extent do youth with disabilities participating in Project TEAM achieve intervention outcomes? (2) What are the characteristics of youth with disabilities who most benefit from Project TEAM? (3) To what extent are goals, procedures, and outcomes of Project TEAM important and acceptable (socially valid) to youth with disabilities?.
Mental Imagery Therapy for Autism (MITA) is a unique, early-intervention application for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The app includes bright, interactive puzzles designed to help children learn how to mentally integrate multiple features of an object, an ability that has proven to lead to vast improvements in general learning. Success with MITA puzzles could overtime result in significant improvements in a child's overall development, specifically in the realms of language, attention and visual skills. SCIENCE BEHIND THE PROJECT: MITA verbal activities start with simple vocabulary-building exercises and progress towards exercises aimed at higher forms of language, such as noun-adjective combinations, spatial prepositions, recursion, and syntax. For example, a child can be instructed to select the {small/large} {red/ blue/green/orange} ball or to put the cup {on/under/behind/in front of} the table. All exercises are deliberately limited to as few nouns as possible since the aim is not to expand a child's one-word vocabulary, but rather to teach him/her to integrate mental objects in novel ways using active imagination. MITA nonverbal activities aim to provide the same active imagination training visually through implicit instructions. E.g., a child can be presented with two separate images of a train and a window pattern, and a choice of complete trains. The task is to find the correct complete train and place it into the empty square. This exercise requires not only attending to a variety of different features in both the train and its windows, but also combining two separate pieces into a single image (in other words, mentally integrating separate train parts into a single unified gestalt). As levels progress, the exercises increase in difficulty, requiring attention to more and more features and details. Upon attaining the most difficult levels, the child must attend to as many as eight features simultaneously. Previous results from our studies have demonstrated that children who cannot follow the explicit verbal instruction can often follow an equivalent command implicit in the visual set-up of the puzzle. As a child progresses through MITA's systematic exercises, he or she is developing the ability to simultaneously attend to a greater number of features, reducing the propensity towards tunnel vision, and thus developing an essential component of language. The ability to mentally build an image based on a combination of multiple features is absolutely necessary for understanding syntax, spatial prepositions and verb tenses. MITA is designed for early childhood and intended for long-term, daily use. It is designed to be engaging and educational, as well as adaptive and responsive to the individual abilities of each child.
This study examines how the PEERS (Laugeson & Frankel, 2010; Laugeson, 2016) social-behavioral intervention affects social relationships and brain development and function in autistic preschoolers, adolescents, and young adults.
This study is a double blind treatment trial that will test if sulforaphane improves core symptoms in autism. The investigators expect to see clinical improvement in some of these areas. Sulforaphanes come from eating certain vegetables such as broccoli. The investigators will be using a preparation that gives specific and reproducible amounts. The investigators will also test specific chemicals and genes needed for sulforaphane usage to try to understand differences in response.