View clinical trials related to Autistic Disorder.
Filter by:The primary objective of this study is to conduct magnetic resonance spectroscopic (MRS) and imaging (MRI) scans to assess the structural and neurochemical profile of the brain in 20 children and adolescents, 6-17 years old with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For comparison, MRS and MRI will also be obtained from 10 healthy control subjects, matched to the 20 subjects with ASD in age, sex, dexterity, and IQ. All eligible subjects will be administered a detailed assessment battery consisting of cognitive assessments (neuropsychological battery including subsets of the DANVA2 and the CANTAB) and measures of psychosocial functioning (SAICA and M-FES). The study includes 1-3 visits for the screening period at Massachusetts General Hospital (approximately 4 hours of assessments) and one scanning visit at McLean Hospital (approximately 1.5 hours). The investigators hypothesize that youth with ASD versus controls will exhibit increased glutamate concentrations, reflecting glutamatergic overactivity, and increased Cho concentrations, suggesting neuronal abnormality. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that compared to neurotypical controls, the structural integrity of white mater tracts will be disrupted in ASD.
Autism is one of those disorders in Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which characterized by social interaction abnormalities, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, and repetitive, obsessive behavior, while the therapeutic effect of current treatments remains limited progress .Neural hypoperfusion and immune deregulation are the two key pathologies associated with Autism. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) and human cord blood mononuclear cells (hCB-MNCs) have been shown to have the ability to modulate the immune response and enhance angiogenesis, suggesting the novel and promising therapeutic strategy. In this study, the safety and efficacy of hUC-MSCs and hCB-MNCs transplantation will be evaluated in patients with Autism.
The purpose of this study is to see whether or not Family Navigators, who 1 ) help families after their child is diagnosed with autism and help them get autism specific services for their child 2) help families identify barriers to obtaining these services and 3) help families problem solve to overcome these barrier, are helpful to parents of a child newly diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The purpose of this study is to learn more about risk factors for autism by studying the behavior and brain functioning of toddlers with early communication delays and typically developing toddlers. Children 12 or 18 months of age with language delays (i.e., no words at 18 months, limited vocalizations at 12 months) and typically developing toddlers may be eligible to participate. This study will be conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. There will be an initial screening evaluation that will include behavioral assessment. Eligible participants will then complete a baseline visit that includes an overnight sleep study that includes Electroencephalogram (EEG) test to measure brain electrical activity, and an MRI scan. Follow-up visits that include behavioral assessment will occur every 6-12 months, depending on age at study entry. The final study visit will occur at 36 months of age and will include behavioral assessment, sleep/EEG study, and MRI. There is no cost for participation. Compensation will be provided. To find out if your child qualifies or for more information, please call 301-451-7822 (TTY: 1-866-411-1010) or e-mail NIMH-ASD@mail.nih.gov. National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) include Autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). These are developmental disorders beginning prior to three years of age. Recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates suggest that ASD affects up to 1 in 100 individuals and up to 1 in 50 boys. There are very substantial costs associated with caring for patients with ASD, and ASD has the highest Caregiver Burden Scores of any condition. There are three core symptom domains of ASD, including social deficits, repetitive behaviors and language deficits. Patients can also have associated symptoms of attentional deficits, disruptive behaviors and intellectual disability. There is currently no Food and Drug administration (FDA) approved treatment for the core symptoms of autism, but risperidone and aripiprazole have FDA approval for disruptive behaviors associated with autism. This is a 12 week randomized double blind placebo controlled trial of Milnacipran in adults with ASD or Aspergers Syndrome. Milnacipran is said to play a role in the activation and normalization of the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system, of which is hypothesized to play a role in behavior adaptations and performance.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by abnormalities in speech and communication, impaired social functioning and repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. Oxytocin (OT) is peptide that is known for its peripheral effects on facilitating uterine contractions and milk let-down; however, studies, mainly with rodents and non-human primates, has found that OT is involved in affiliative behaviors, including sexual behavior, mother-infant and adult-adult pair-bond formation, separation distress, and other aspects of social attachment. Moreover, OT is known to play an important role in repetitive behaviors and stress reactivity. Given that repetitive behaviors and deficits in social interaction are core symptom domains of autism, and that OT is involved in the regulation of repetitive and affiliative behaviors, it is believed that OT may play a role in the etiology of autism. Moreover, preliminary data obtained by Hollander and colleagues suggests that OT may be of value in treating core autism symptoms. Specifically, synthetic oxytocin administered via intravenous infusion to adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) produced significant reductions in repetitive behaviors and facilitated social cognition/memory in a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over laboratory challenge. Encouraged by these findings, the primary aim of this study is to investigate the safety and therapeutic efficacy of intranasal OT in treating repetitive behaviors and social functioning/cognitive deficits in adults with ASD. This research embraces a translational approach to develop a novel treatment for core ASD symptoms; given that there are currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medication treatments for core ASD symptoms, this research addresses an important unmet need in the field. The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of repeated Intranasal Oxytocin Treatment (INOT)administration in adults with ASD.
The Biomarkers in autism of aripiprazole and risperidone treatment (BAART) project will provide evidence-based guidance in the selection and monitoring of drug treatment of autism. BAART involves 3 academic centers across South Carolina. Although the FDA has approved use of the antipsychotic drug risperidone for irritability associated with autistic disorder, a moderate response rate in pivotal clinical trials and concerns over tolerability and weight gain can force clinicians to select alternative drug treatments for which evidence-based support is sparse.
This study will compare the efficacy of a behavioral parent training program (PT) aimed specifically at common sleep disturbances compared to parent education (PE) program focusing on general issues related to autism. In a sample of 40 well characterized young children who meet criteria for an autism spectrum disorder (24-72 months), the investigators will test whether the five session PT program is superior to the PE program in decreasing sleep disturbances. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a PT program for sleep disturbance in young children with autism compared to PE. To this end, there are two hypothesis: - Hypothesis 1: After the end of treatment, PT will be significantly more effective than PE in improving parent reports of a) bedtime struggles and resistance; b) sleep latency; c) night wakings; d) morning wakings; and / or e) sleep association problems as measured by the composite sleep index score from the modified Simonds and Parraga Sleep Questionnaire (MSPSQ; Simond & Parraga, 1982; Wiggs & Stores, 1998). - Hypothesis 2: At the end of treatment, children in the PT group (n=20) will display significantly improved total sleep period as measured by actigraphy in comparison to children in the PE group (n=20). The secondary aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of participating in PT on child's daytime behavior and functioning and parenting stress compared to PE. To measure this aim, there are 4 exploratory hypothesis: - Exploratory Hypothesis 1: Lower Irritability subscales scores will be reported on both parent and teacher / therapist completed Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) for the PT group than the PE group at 4 weeks and 8 weeks - Exploratory Hypothesis 2: Lower Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; parent completed) and Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF; teacher completed) scores will be reported for the PT group than the PE group at 4 weeks and 8 weeks. - Exploratory Hypothesis 3: The PT group will have higher scores on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales: 2nd Edition (VABS-II) at 4 weeks and 8 weeks compared to PE group. - Exploratory Hypothesis 4: Parents receiving PT will report significantly lower scores on the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) at 4 weeks and 8 weeks compared to parents receiving PE.
The investigators propose to conduct this pilot study to evaluate oxytocin as a supplemental treatment for improving social difficulties in individuals with autism.
This study will determine the effectiveness of mirtazapine in reducing anxiety in children with autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder.