View clinical trials related to Autistic Disorder.
Filter by:There are three purposes to this study. The first purpose is to evaluate the value of a genetic test in determining risk for autism spectrum disorder. Processing for genetic samples will be completed at the Cleveland Clinic using research equipment provided by IntegraGen. The second purpose is to identify genetic changes that may be associated with autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The third purpose is to examine whether genetic differences and changes may predict which individuals benefit from medicine used to treat attention problems or other psychiatric difficulties. Between 600-800 people are expected to participate in this study - approximately 300 individuals with an autism spectrum disorder, 75 individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or another developmental or psychiatric disorder, 100 healthy siblings, and 125 unrelated individuals without a developmental or psychiatric disorder. Study procedures will vary based upon the specific group participants are suspected to fall into (autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, psychiatric concerns/developmental delay, healthy sibling, or unrelated healthy control). - All individuals will be asked to participate in a cheek swab (gently swabbing the inside of your cheek) to obtain cells used for genetic testing. Genetic material will be stored with identifiers such as numbers, letters or codes. - Parents or caregivers will be asked to complete questionnaires that examine medical and family history as well as current symptoms and quality of life for the participant. - Participants may undergo speech and language testing. This involves answering questions, looking at pictures or identifying items. - Information recorded in participant medical records will be reviewed and collected for this study.
The purpose of this research is to better understand the genetic, biochemical, cognitive and behavioral symptom abnormalities that contribute to autism spectrum disorders. The investigators anticipate recruiting at least 100 participants with autism spectrum disorder and large head size, at least 100 participants with autism spectrum disorder without large head size and at least 40 healthy siblings. Biological parents are expected to be recruited only as genetic changes are identified in individuals with autism spectrum disorders to better understand the nature of these genetic changes. Participants are asked to complete cognitive testing, a blood draw, urine collection and measurement of his/her height, weight and head circumference. Parents or caregivers may be asked to complete a diagnostic evaluation and will complete questionnaires that examine the participant's medical and family history as well as his/her current symptoms, functioning, and quality of life. A brief report simply listing and giving a basic description of any behavioral diagnostic information, autism symptoms, adaptive functioning, and a listing of results from cognitive testing will be provided as part of this study.
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the presence of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder places parents at increased risk for divorce.
Understudied drugs will be administered to children per standard of care as prescribed by their treating caregiver and only biological sample collection during the time of drug administration will be involved. A total of approximately 7000 children aged <21 years who are receiving these drugs for standard of care will be enrolled and will be followed for up a maximum of 90 days. The goal of this study is to characterize the pharmacokinetics of understudied drugs for which specific dosing recommendations and safety data are lacking. The prescribing of drugs to children will not be part of this protocol. Taking advantage of procedures done as part of routine medical care (i.e. blood draws) this study will serve as a tool to better understand drug exposure in children receiving these drugs per standard of care. The data collected through this initiative will also provide valuable pharmacokinetic and dosing information of drugs in different pediatric age groups as well as special pediatric populations (i.e. obese).
The purpose of this study is to find the relationship between the stage and quality of developmental delay during infancy and toddler age, and the final diagnosis that the child gets a few years later (MR, type of PDD, CP or comorbidity of a few disorders).
Through the development of a novel treatment targeting core Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) social deficits and studying the efficacy of this intervention, the investigators hope to provide a means for children with ASD to more effectively and efficiently process social information and enable them to more successfully engage in social interactions. Children between the ages of 24 and 36 months and their families may join.
The main objective of this study is to determine the safety and therapeutic potential of intranasal oxytocin in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when paired with a computer game intervention that is designed to enhance face perception skills.
The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of a parent training program in the treatment of social and communication deficits in children with autism. Specifically, this study will evaluate a developmentally based parent delivered intervention in the community developed by Pacific Autism Center for Education (PACE).
The main objective of this exploratory 8 week pilot study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of buspirone for the treatment of anxiety in youth (ages 6-17 years) with autism spectrum disorders. The study results will be used to generate hypotheses for a larger randomized controlled clinical trial with explicit hypotheses and sufficient statistical power.
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by abnormalities in speech and communication, impaired social functioning, and repetitive behaviors and interests. The term "Autism spectrum disorders" or ASD is often used to include autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Epidemiological research suggests that ASDs affect at least 60 per 10,000 youth, with estimates as high as 120 per 10,000. Severity of autistic features is not easily defined and the use of different diagnostic tools compounds the ability to lay a clear cut definition. It is, though, generally accepted that children with autism and normal IQ (>70) are "high functioning" regardless of the severity of their autistic features. The investigators will use the terms "autism" and "ASD" interchangeably, and the term "low functioning autism" will be used to describe those children with autism who have, or are presumed to have, IQ<70. The pathophysiology of autism has been studied extensively in the last decade. Abnormal neuronal connectivity has been implicated in a growing body of research. In addition, areas of over and/or under neuronal activation have been detected on functional MRI(Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive technique that allows to affect brain activity. The pulses are administered by passing high currents through an electromagnetic coil placed adjacent to a patient's scalp. The pulses induce an electric field in the underlying brain tissue. When the induced field is above a certain threshold, and is directed in an appropriate orientation relative to the brain's neuronal pathways, localized axonal depolarizations are produced, thus activating the neurons in the relevant brain structure. rTMS has been studied in individuals with high functioning autism. rTMS treatment was found to have an electrophysiological effect and to reduce repetitive behaviors and improved social functioning. In the context of existing pilot data suggesting effect of rTMS treatment in individuals with high functioning autism, the investigators propose a pilot study to assess the efficacy of rTMS in children and adolescents with low functioning autism.