View clinical trials related to Asperger Syndrome.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of D-cycloserine for improving social impairment in child with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD).
The purpose of this study is to see if memantine is helpful in managing problematic symptoms in adults with autism, Asperger's disorder, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder NOS.
This study is a pre-test, post-test single group design with follow-up at month three. Twenty-four individuals total will participate in this study with 6 participants in each of 4 cohorts. Participants and their parents will complete pre-test measures including both paper and pencil measures and a video-recording to assess the participant's social interaction skills and fluency. These adolescents will participate in both group therapy and peer generalization sessions once a week over the course of twelve weeks. Upon completion of the intervention, participants and parents will complete paper and pencil and video post-test measures. Participants will be encouraged to participate in one follow-up session where the paper and pencil and video measures will be completed again.
Background: - Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disorders that affect communication, social interaction, and behavior. Relatively little is known about the relationship between genetics and behavior among these individuals and their close relatives. Researchers are interested in using interviews and rating scales to better understand these issues, as well as collecting brain scan data and genetic samples for testing and comparison. - By comparing test results and genetic samples from healthy volunteers, people with ASD, and parents (or caregivers or legal guardians) of the first two groups, researchers hope to better understand the neuroscience of ASD. Objectives: - To learn more about the brain in healthy people and in people with autism spectrum disorders. - To study genes that might be involved in autism spectrum disorders by collecting DNA samples from participants. Eligibility: The following groups of participants will be eligible for the study: - Individuals between 5 and 89 years of age who have autism spectrum disorders. - Healthy volunteers between 5 and 89 years of age. - Cognitively impaired children between 5 and 17 years of age. - Parents/caregivers/legal guardians of individuals in the above three groups. Design: - Participants will visit the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center for research tests, which will be administered over multiple visits. Researchers will determine the specific tests to be administered based on the medical history of the study participant. - Researchers will study the brain through interviews, tests of thinking and memory (neuropsychological tests), brain imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and magnetoencephalography (MEG). - The study will also collect blood or saliva to obtain a DNA sample.
Background: - Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are developmental disabilities characterized by impaired social interaction and repetitive and/or stereotypical behaviors. Research studies suggest that some individuals with ASD have very low blood cholesterol levels. This low cholesterol level and other abnormal sterol levels may be important markers for subtypes of ASD. Providing additional cholesterol to the diets of children with ASD may help improve behavior. - These findings will guide the medical community in identifying individuals who should be tested for sterol disorders. This study will also help researchers learn whether adding extra cholesterol to the diet will improve behavioral and other autism spectrum characteristics seen in individuals with ASD and low cholesterol. Objectives: - To determine cholesterol levels in children with autism spectrum disorders. - To compare behavioral and other characteristics among children who have autism spectrum disorders and high, low, or normal cholesterol levels. - To determine whether adding cholesterol to the diet will improve behavioral and other characteristics in individuals with ASD and low cholesterol. Eligibility: - Children between the ages of 4 and 12 who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Design: - Initial screening study will involve a collection of blood samples (for study purposes and cholesterol testing). - Children who have low cholesterol levels will take part in a study in which they will receive either cholesterol supplementation or a placebo, and will have detailed physical and psychological examinations to measure possible improvement in behavioral or other characteristics. - Children who have high or normal cholesterol levels will have further blood samples taken, and will undergo an additional set of examinations for comparison purposes. - Researchers may request blood or DNA samples from other family members (parents or siblings), which will be collected through blood draws and cheek swabs.
This study will assess whether a computer haptic peripheral device programmed to provide repetitive motion training is as effective as the same repetitive motion training provided by a human being.
This study will investigate and contrast the effects of two psychological treatments for adults with autism spectrum disorder. Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET) is a cognitive remediation intervention that aims to help adults with problems in thinking, planning, and socialization. Enriched Supportive Therapy (EST) is an individual supportive therapy that aims to help adults learn about their condition, manage their emotions and stress, improve their social skills, and cope with everyday problems.
Abstract: In Phase I, we designed and tested a Portable Visual Guidance System (PVGS), which combines a PDA - for user guidance - and an Internet website - for linking the user to an educational support team. Use of the PVGS 1) significantly improved the in vivo social pragmatics of students diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome/Higher Functioning Autism (AS/HFA); 2) revealed additional ways of improving social pragmatics; and 3) improved activity management in scheduling and vocational tasks. In Phase II, we will focus on social pragmatics and two closely related skills: feelings management and assignment management. We aim to: 1. Replicate Phase I success in the most educational setting for AS/HFA high school aged students: mainstream school inclusion classes. 2. Replicate Phase I findings more efficiently, with a less highly trained, on-site coaching staff and with more distant (non-site) expert supervision of that staff. 3. Contrast the outcomes of the curriculum with a diagnosis-matched wait-list control group. 4. Develop and implement software that will enable on-site staff to create and modify individualized guidance and monitoring screens as needs arise. 5. Design a commercially attractive package of software, video training, video-conferenced support, and manuals. 6. Complete the translation of the SymTrend website and all the above tools into Spanish. Significance: Successful completion of Phase II will: 1. Provide a very effective and comprehensive system for teaching social pragmatics and related management skills to AS/HFA persons in an inclusion context. 2. Provide a means of evaluating IEP effectiveness, thereby enabling a better use of special education funds and a reduction of litigation over IEP plan appropriateness and utility. 3. Provide substantial support for our theoretical rationale for curriculum building in Special Education - a rationale that can guide the formulation of IEPs. 4. Provide a theoretical rationale, an intervention framework, and intervention support technology that can be extended to cognitive behavioral treatment of other neuropsychiatric disorders and can be adapted for other forms of healthcare guidance. 5. Provide an investigative system, as well as an intervention system, for tracking behavioral change in studies of frontal lobe and limbic neuroplasticity in neuropsychiatric disorders.
The study will evaluate the effectiveness of atomoxetine (Strattera) with and without Parent Management Training (PMT) in children with Autism, Asperger's Disorder, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS) who have symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This is a double-blind placebo, parallel study where the atomoxetine will have a dose titration over a 6 week period. All children will be seen weekly during this titration period, with additional visits at Week 8 and Week 10. Families assigned to the PMT arm will have an additional weekly meeting with a clinician for a total of 9 PMT visits. PMT involves teaching parents to implement behavioral interventions with their children. Subjects who are clinical responders (ADHD Responders and Compliance Responders) from the 10 week study period will be followed every 4 weeks in a 24-week extension study. Subjects who are clinical nonresponders will continue in PMT if they received PMT during the double-blind phase, and they will receive an open trial of atomoxetine if they were on placebo during the double-blind phase. All subjects (responders and nonresponders) will be invited to participate in follow-up assessments every 4 weeks for 24 weeks after the completion of the double-blind phase.
Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to infer others mental states. It includes a recognition that other individuals experience thoughts, feelings, intentions, and desires that may be different to our own. ToM is often impaired among individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (such as autism and Asperger's disorder), and may underlie aspects of social dysfunction in this population. Indeed, it has been suggested that impaired ToM is the core deficit of autism and Asperger's disorder. Imaging studies suggest that the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex, the most important brain region in ToM processing, is underactive in autism. The current study examines whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the bilateral medial prefrontal cortex can modulate ToM ability among healthy adults, and improve ToM ability among adults with autism or Asperger's disorder. With the prevalence of autism increasing, there is a clear need to develop appropriate therapeutic interventions to improve social functioning. This study involves a double-blind study using high-frequency rTMS in an attempt to improve ToM among adults with either autism or Asperger's disorder. Theory of mind will be measured using behavioural tasks that require the participant to infer what someone is thinking or feeling by observing their behaviour. These tasks will administered both before and after rTMS to determine whether any change in theory of mind has occurred. Thirty adults with either autism (n = 15) or Asperger's disorder (n = 15) will initially undergo functional and structural MRI to determine the site on the scalp that lies over the medial prefrontal cortex (to which rTMS will be administered). They will then attend our lab each consecutive weekday for a two-week period, during which they will 15 minutes high-frequency (5 Hz) rTMS (either active or sham) to the medial prefrontal cortex. ToM and clinical measures will be collected before the first session, soon after the last session, and one month after the last session. Based on prior imaging data, it is expected that high-frequency rTMS (compared with sham rTMS) to the medial prefrontal cortex will improve ToM ability and reduce social dysfunction among adults with autism or Asperger's disorder. Should these hypotheses be supported, it will indicate the suitability of rTMS as a neurobiological intervention designed to improve ToM and social function among individuals with autism and related disorders.