View clinical trials related to Autism.
Filter by:Cluster randomised controlled trial with two arms: arts intervention (any of the arts interventions, see list), which we call here Active Group (AG) vs waitlist control (WL).
Advanced social relations protocol is aimed at young people with autism aged 9-12 years with an intelligence quotient (IQ) ≥ 80. There will be an experimental group in which technology will be used and a control group in which activities will be carried out in the traditional way. The protocol will be carried out once a week for a duration of 45 minutes. The aim is to enhance communication and social skills within the group. A total of 23 sessions are planned. From the first to the third session the participants will acquire skills for communicating and conversing in an appropriate way. Thereafter from the fourth to the eleventh session social stories illustrating scenes from everyday life will be shown, with the aim of learning and managing the dynamics in which they find themselves on a daily basis. At the end of each story shown they will be asked to impersonate the protagonists depicted in the stories, each participant involved in turn will play all the roles shown in the stories, thus working in the mode of role playing. The last part, which includes sessions from the twelfth to the twenty-third, will be dedicated to the correct and conscious use of social networks with a focus on the risks that can be encountered and the correct ways to make good use of them.
Community mobility is critical for living independently and engaging in one's community. It is especially important for people in their early adult years, as this is often a time of transition to employment and living independently. Community mobility can be particularly challenging for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (henceforth referred to as autistic adults based on the preferred identity-first language of our autistic partners). Some autistic adults are unable to meet the demands of driving. Public transportation is an option for autistic adults; and autistic adults are more likely to use public transportation than their non-autistic counterparts. However, using public transportation may be just as challenging as driving for the autistic population. Rideshare (also called ride-hailing) is a relatively new form of transportation in which passengers get from point A to point B in private vehicles driven by their owners. A digital app, usually accessed on a smartphone, matches passengers and drivers, coordinates routes using a GPS system, and facilitates payment through a linked financial account. Rideshare has the potential to address many of the issues autistic adults have accessing the community. It is faster and more direct than the public train or bus, there is limited social interaction required, and rides can be scheduled at any time. Despite it's potential to increase transportation in autistic adults, there are no evidence-based training programs to support Rideshare use in this population.
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a therapeutic approach for autism that is based on the principles of behavioral theory, learning, and positive reinforcement. Current research shows that early and intensive ABA intervention is effective in reducing dysfunctional behaviors and promoting learning and enactment of socially appropriate behaviors. In this context, new approaches that attempt to integrate advanced technologies can play a key role. This experimental protocol aims to test whether the use of advanced technologies, such as tablets, as part of an intervention for a group of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more effective than the traditional approach implemented in a control group of children with ASD. The experimental protocol is aimed at enhancing cognitive skills, increasing new skills and acquiring functional/adaptive behaviors.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to develop and test the COMPASS [Collaborative Model for Competence and Success] Across Settings (CAST) intervention to enhance the goal setting and attainment skills of autistic youth. Despite federal education law mandating transition services as part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) for ensuring good outcomes for students with disabilities, current educational practices have been unable to demonstrate that autistic students experience positive postsecondary outcomes. There are existing, evidence-based interventions aimed at supporting positive outcomes for these students. However, these interventions have not systematically provided coaching support to the caregivers, students, and employment specialists. To address these issues, CAST will integrate three evidence-based interventions for supporting student transitions while providing this critical coaching support. By doing so, CAST aims to align the priorities and goals of interventions across home, school, and community settings to better support positive postsecondary outcomes for autistic students.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by core domains: persistent deficits in social communication and interaction; restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities.
The proposed protocol aims to facilitate awareness and understanding of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 to 14 with an IQ between 85 and 115. Conducted once a week for 60 minutes, the protocol encompasses two initial group sessions followed by 5 group meetings, introducing activities to foster self-awareness, cognitive understanding, and an inclusive environment. Subsequently, the protocol advances to 12 individual sessions focused on emotional well-being and self-awareness, integrating Oculus technology and chest sensors for heart rate monitoring. Initiating the intervention, individual family meetings are scheduled to outline intervention goals and phases. The initial group sessions focus on social bonding, cognitive understanding, and creating an accepting atmosphere among participants. Utilizing activities addressing neurodiversity awareness and technological tools like tablets, the sessions encourage discussions on individual differences and sensitivities. The subsequent individual sessions are structured to explore personal values, identify inner critical voices, and develop emotional awareness through exercises exploring emotions and physical sensations. Progressively, the intervention introduces mindfulness, guiding participants to acknowledge emotions as normal and encouraging alignment of daily actions with personal values. Following this, sessions center on building observational skills, recognizing past behaviors, and fostering strengths tied to values. Participants are encouraged to distinguish between their critical "consultant" and the value-driven "explorer," fostering personal growth and reflection. The protocol's later stages delve into identifying personal strengths linked to core values and exploring value-driven goals. Visual exercises, metaphors, and flexible self-views are emphasized, promoting adaptability and self-evolution. The protocol concludes by advocating a flexible self-view, embracing change, and connecting oneself to ever-evolving metaphors like "a cup with changing contents" or "the ever-changing sky." These sessions culminate with visual relaxation facilitated through Oculus technology while simultaneously monitoring participants' heart rates using chest sensors. This comprehensive approach integrates technological tools with emotional and cognitive exercises, providing a multifaceted framework to enhance self-awareness and promote acceptance within the context of neurodiversity.
The following protocol was developed with the intention of significantly improving social skills by focusing on increasing relationship skills among children with ASD. Divided into two distinct parts, "Basic Social Relationships" and "Intermediate Social Relationships," the protocol has 4 stages for the former and 5 stages for the latter. Each phase is preparatory to the next, and in addition, a teaching procedure is implemented that adopts three prompt levels (partial, moderate and total), gradually aiming to reduce the assistance provided to encourage independent response. This gradual approach is designed to stimulate greater independence in social interactions. The training lasts between 6 and 12 months, with one or two weekly group meetings lasting forty-five minutes each. Before the start and at the end of the protocol, participants are assessed using the Vineland scale to evaluate their adaptive behaviors. The primary goal is to enable children with autism to develop meaningful social skills, providing them with concrete tools to interact more effectively and independently with their peers, thus improving their quality of life and social involvement. The protocol involves two distinct groups, experimental and control group. The experimental group involves the use of a social robot that acts as a mediator in the interactions among participants. The role of the social robot is to facilitate, reinforce and support the participants' responses during the activities. The therapist coordinates with the social robot, helping to guide, reinforce and support participants' interactions. In the control group, the therapist takes on the role of mediating interactions, helping and facilitating participants' responses. There is no involvement of a social robot; therefore,the therapist self acts directly to guide, reinforce and support the participants' social interactions.
The investigators are looking to evaluate how effective a training program that focuses on character strengths may be in improving job maintenance skills in young adults. The investigators are examining the effects of this intervention in young adults who feel they would like to help in improving their satisfaction with work, and in keeping their jobs.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the most common developmental disabilities and often people with ASD have sensory processing disorders. These sensory processing disorders are often associated with problem behaviors and, more recently, have been connected to anxiety disorders in people with ASD. While it has been suggested that sensory processing responses in ASD could be malleable, current treatment strategies for sensory processing disorders in ASD have inconsistent results or lack large-sample sized data. This investigation will explore changes in neurophysiological activity in people with ASD and neurotypical peers after they are exposed to an unpleasant visual stimulus through a virtual reality systematic desensitization protocol. 30 people with ASD and 30 neurotypical people between the ages 7 - 35 will be recruited. The study have, 1) a practice magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visit with questionnaires, 2) a per-exposure MRI with structural and functional MRI collections, 3) a virtual reality systematic desensitization session where we will record the participant's physiological response using an Emotibit device, and 4) a post-exposure MRI session with structural and functional MRI collections. This investigation aims to quantify changes in neurophysiological responses in order to determine the effect of systematic desensitization.