View clinical trials related to Developmental Disabilities.
Filter by:This study is being done to see if children with learning problems can learn how to swallow pills without chewing them. The reason this is important is that if a person has seizures, medications must be taken every day. Most medications need to be taken 2 or 3 times per day. Some medications have slow release and only are taaken once per day. Medications with slow release usually come in capsule form and cannot be opened or chewed. This study investiates whether children with developmental delay can be taught how to swalow pills.
The purpose of this study is to develop a better tolerated and more effective pharmacologic treatment for individuals with Asperger's Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder. This is an open-label investigation of aripiprazole in the management of the maladaptive behaviors of autistic disorder. We hypothesize that aripiprazole will be effective for reducing aggression and repetitive behavior.
The purpose of this study is to determine if the known differences in genes influence drug metabolizing enzymes and receptors that are involved in risperidone drug action. The study will determine if differences in these genes will change the concentration of risperidone in the blood over time in children in relation to side effects and clinical response to risperidone.
This study aims to investigate the overlap and differences between autism and MCDD as neuropsychiatric childhood disorders. MRI scans are acquired from subjects with autism, subjects with a diagnosis of MCDD and typically developing controls. Volumetric measure of various brain regions are compared between groups. We hypothesize that subjects with autism will have larger brains than controls, whereas subjects with MCDD will have smaller brains.
The specific is to study the MR morphologic and spectroscopic brain correlates and predictors of development in children with severe developmental disorders (autistic spectrum disorders and/or mental retardation and/or language disorders). Given the frequently observed association of autism with known medical conditions, particularly in cases with comorbid mental retardation and in cases with atypical autism (Rutter et al., 1994; Gillberg, 1995), children with suspected autism or related developmental disorders will be asked to participate in an extensive state of the art laboratory work-up which includes T1 and T2 weighted MRI of the brain. MRI data will be analyzed both qualitatively, looking for focal abnormalities and degree of myelination, and quantitatively, measuring volumes of total brain, cerebellum, ventricles and grey and white matter. For research purposes, the work-up will be supplied with proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) of the brain. This data set provides the opportunity to chart brain-behavior relationships in young children with suspected autism and related PDD cross-sectionally.
This study is designed to test the hypothesis that the level of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (specifically, free thyroxine, FT4) circulating in the blood of pregnant women is the key thyroid-related factor to influence early fetal brain development. The investigators will recruit 5000 pregnant women with clinically normal thyroid function (normal thyroid stimulating hormone levels) in the second trimester. After the baby has been born, the investigators will measure FT4 in the second trimester maternal blood sample to identify 100 cases (very low FT4 levels) and 100 matched controls (normal FT4 levels). The children of cases and controls will undergo neurodevelopmental testing at 2 years of age to determine whether IQ differs according to maternal FT4 levels during pregnancy. The potential impact of the study is that if such an effect is found, it might be possible to avoid these adverse developmental consequences in children by designing and testing strategies to identify and treat high risk women.
The purpose of this research is to study the pharmacokinetics of risperidone in a group of pediatric patients with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). The study will determine how much risperidone and its breakdown product, 9-hydroxy-risperidone, is in the blood following the patient's usual daily dose. The study is designed to look at how fast children absorb, breakdown, and eliminate risperidone.
This study will measure brain excitability in patients with succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency, and in their parents. SSADH is a rare inherited disease in which changes in certain brain chemicals affect brain cell activity. Symptoms vary greatly among patients, and may include mental retardation, impaired ability to coordinate movements, and delays in language and speech development. Other symptoms may include poor muscle tone, uncontrolled seizures and other neurological or behavioral abnormalities. Test findings in patients and their parents will be compared with those of healthy normal volunteers. The following individuals may be eligible for this study: patients with SSADH who are between 5 and 24 years of age; parents of patients who are between 18 and 55 years of age; healthy normal children who are between 10 and 17 years of age; and healthy normal adults who are between 18 and 55 years of age. Candidates are screened with blood and urine tests. All participants undergo the following: - Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): This procedure maps brain function. A wire coil is held on the scalp, and a brief electrical current is passed through the coil, creating a magnetic pulse that stimulates the brain. During the stimulation, the subject may be asked to tense certain muscles slightly or perform other simple actions to help position the coil properly. The stimulation may cause a twitch in muscles of the face, arm, or leg, and the subject may hear a click and feel a pulling sensation on the skin under the coil. During the test, electrical activity of muscles is recorded with a computer or other recording device, using electrodes attached to the skin with tape. - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This test combines a powerful magnet with an advanced computer system and radio waves to produce accurate, detailed pictures of organs and tissues. During the scan, the subject lies on a table in a narrow cylinder containing a magnetic field, wearing ear plugs to muffle loud noises that occur with electrical switching of the magnetic fields. He or she can speak with a staff member via an intercom system at all times during the procedure. In addition to standard MRI, subjects may have newer MRI tests, such as diffusion tensor MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. In addition to the above, patients and their parents may also undergo the following tests: - Electroencephalography (EEG): This test records brain waves (electrical activity of the brain). Electrodes are placed on the scalp and brain electrical activity is recorded while the subject lies quietly, breathes deeply, watches flashes of light, or sleeps. Some patients may also have video-EEG monitoring, which involves simultaneous clinical recording using a video camera along with brain wave recording. - Sleep study and multiple sleep latency onset testing (MSLT): Electrodes are placed on the subject's scalp and remain there while the subject sleeps in the hospital overnight. MSLT is done the next day, starting 2 hours after the subject wakes up from the night's sleep. A total of five 20- to 30-minute naps are recorded, each every 2 hours, to access daytime sleepiness. - Nerve conduction studies: This test measures the speed with which nerves conduct electrical impulses and the strength of the connection between the nerve and the muscle. A probe is placed on the skin to deliver a small electrical stimulus, and wires taped on the skin record the impulses.
The purpose of this study is to determine if human immunoglobulin given by mouth twice a day is effective in treating the persistent gastrointestinal (GI) problems such as diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and bloating, in children with autism.
This study will evaluate a program to prevent learning problems in children. The program is an inexpensive public health outreach program designed for families living in poverty and is administered through pediatricians' offices and clinics.