View clinical trials related to Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Filter by:Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to the diagnostic criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- V Edition (DSM-5), is a disorder involving (a) persistent deficits in social communication, social interaction and (b) patterns of restricted and stereotyped behavior and/or interests and/or activities. Specifically, impairment in social interaction manifests itself in different areas of individual functioning and through various facets: social-emotional reciprocity, poor understanding of social rules, reduced sharing of interests, emotions or feelings, reduced or absent theory of mind, inability to initiate or respond to social interactions (turn-taking in conversation), and difficulties in the use of communication. Facial expressions, vocal intonation, postures and gestures are crucial components of non-verbal communication that play a fundamental role in social-communicative functions. However, people with ASD may show significant deficits in these forms of expression, negatively affecting the ability to generate an appropriate social response, which is essential for initiating and maintaining social interactions. Children with ASD tend to avoid eye contact with others and show little or no interest in people, often looking past them or away from them. This behavior contributes to presenting them as "markedly aloof and distant". The aim of the study is to explore the effect of specific expressive tasks, conducted by highly qualified personnel, in a group setting, by means of targeted theatrical activities. These activities include exercises focusing on the use of voice and posture, the variety of vocal intonations and the harmonization between verbal production and facial expressiveness. In the context of this study, 20 children will be involved, divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group will include 10 children with ASD who voluntarily participate in activities organized by the IRIB-CNR of Messina. These children, aged between 6 and 11 years, present a medium-high level of cognitive functioning, as assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- IV Edition (WISC-IV) cognitive test. In parallel, the control group will consist of 10 normo-typical children, selected from the Istituto Comprensivo San Francesco di Paola of Messina, having the same age group, who will not participate in the experimental activities.
Children on the autism spectrum sometimes have difficulty learning new words and using the newly taught information in different situations. In this study, we are testing whether strategies that have been found to improve word learning in non-autistic children will also help autistic children. Specifically, we aim to test whether autistic children learn words more successfully if we teach the words by repeating the words to the child (re-study) or if we teach the words by first labeling each word and then quizzing the child (repeated quizzing). The main questions it aims to answer are: - When teaching nouns (names of exotic animals), is learning stronger if autistic children re-study or engage in repeated quizzing of the newly taught words? - When teaching adjectives (visible features of objects, like a bumpy chair), is learning stronger if autistic children re-study or engage in repeated quizzing of the newly taught adjectives? - Does the word learning condition (re-study vs. repeated quizzing) impact whether autistic children are more successful in demonstrating their knowledge of the newly taught words in different contexts? - Are autistic features related to patterns of word learning? Participants will: - Learn new words with half of the words being taught in one way (re-study) and the other half of the words being taught in the other way (repeated quizzing). - Participate in 5-minute and 1-week tests of the newly taught words to measure child learning. - Complete other language, thinking, and autism clinical assessments.
The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to compare and learn about Virtual Reality (VR) in children with autism/Autistic children. The main question it aims to answer is: • Does the Floreo VR clinical product show clinical improvement in autism symptoms? Participants will engage the VR product for twice a week for twelve weeks. They will be randomized to either the Floreo Clinical Product or a VR Control group experience. Researchers will compare the two groups to see if there is an effect on learning specific skills and behaviors.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder (Valerie, Sperenza, 2009) that begins early in development, characterized by persistent deficits in communication and social interactions across various contexts and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These symptoms significantly impact social, school/professional functioning, or other important areas and are not better explained by intellectual disability or global developmental delay (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a new Virtual Reality-based intervention will be effective in treating social cognitive challenges in adults with autism. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Is Virtual Reality-based social cognitive training effective in reducing social cognitive deficits and improving psychosocial functioning, quality of life, and clinical symptoms in adults with ASD? 2. Is Virtual Reality-based social cognitive training cost-effective? Researchers will compare Virtual Reality-based pro-functional, Social Cognitive Training (VRSCT) to treatment as usual (TAU) to evaluate effectiveness. Participants will be allocated to receive either VRSCT once a week in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone for 3 months. All participants will undergo a thorough assessment at baseline, and at 3 and 6 months post-baseline.
The current study aims to evaluate the aspects of perfusion, fluid diffusivity in the interstitium and the T1 and T2 signal of the PVS and WMH. The current study has the following objectives: a) evaluate the perfusion aspects using the gadolinium-based contrast medium of brain tissues in the short term; b) the direction of flow of fluids at very low speed in the white matter using the DTI sequences configured for this purpose; c) T1-mapping of the lesions of interest. The expected results will help us understand two aspects of neurofluid dynamics: a) how the fluid moves within the central nervous system in the first minutes after the injection of the tracer (in our case the gadolinium-based contrast medium) and b) what is the composition of the fluid within the PVS and WMH and how can investigators characterize them more accurately.
The main aim of the study is to investigate whether APP-based emotional recognition training improve social function in autistic children.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a condition characterized by deficits in social communication and mutual interaction, as well as repetitive and restricted behaviors and interests. This condition manifests itself differently in each individual and can vary greatly in severity and impact on daily life. Autistic children may present various challenges and difficulties in developing daily living skills (DLS). These difficulties may relate to various areas, such as personal autonomy and domestic autonomy. For example, they may have difficulties in acquiring personal hygiene skills, such as dressing and tying their shoes independently. They may have difficulty performing household tasks, such as setting the table, preparing a simple meal, or folding a t-shirt. These difficulties may require specific support and training to help autistic children develop personal autonomy skills and achieve greater independence in different areas of their daily lives. Improving and developing DLS is an important goal in order to improve the quality of life and independence of children with autistic conditions. This protocol aims to acquire new useful DLS within the various settings of daily life. The hypothesis of the present study is the following: video modeling, through the use of the iPad (Qr code scanning), can be more effective in promoting autonomy in children with ASD, compared to a control group that receives a traditional training, without the use of technological instrumentation.
The term or definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) defines a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder in which deficits in communication and social interaction, altered sensorimotor behaviours, repetitive, restricted and stereotyped interests and activities are observed. One of the disorders most frequently associated with ASD, and which most affects the quality of life of the child and his or her family, is sleep disorders; it is estimated that between 50 and 80 percent of children with ASD present this alteration and generally continue to suffer from it in adolescence and adulthood; It has also been observed that there is a correlation between sleep problems and an increase in aggressive behaviour, social and emotional deficits and deficits in activities of daily living, which severely affects the child and his or her close family environment; they become emotionally destabilised in a notorious way, and this has a negative impact on their work and productive environment. The microcurrents generated by the non-invasive neuromodulation device introduce, by means of a non-invasive technique (surface electrodes), electrical energy to normalise the nervous stimulus. This makes it an excellent complementary treatment to the activity of rehabilitation treatment. Its effects are achieved by establishing several input nerve pathways corresponding to the body's dermis, through which the signals are intellectualised in time-space. These signals are the basis for achieving normalisation of the nerve impulse by means of microcurrents.
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of vestibular and proprioceptive exercise practices on the hyperactivity level in children with autism spectrum disorder.