View clinical trials related to Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
Filter by:The objective of this K01 study was to pilot a sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART) design to compare the impact of a sequence of sleep interventions, based on participant treatment response, to optimize sleep health in adolescents 10-18 years of age with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).
The aim of this project is to determine the epidemiology of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and incidence of subsequent permanent neurological sequelae in a high HIV prevalent setting in Soweto, Johannesburg. A cross-sectional study will be conducted on mother-infant pairs, screening mothers for CMV infection and newborns for congenital CMV infection. Maternal CMV prevalence will be determined by testing for CMV specific antibodies in blood. Newborn congenital infection will be determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on newborn saliva and urine within 3 weeks of birth. Various risk factors associated with congenital CMV such as HIV exposure, and gestational age will be assessed. The association between maternal vaginal CMV shedding postnatally with congenital CMV infection will be explored by swabbing maternal vaginal fluid and conducting quantitative CMV PCR analysis. Newborns confirmed with congenital CMV and a control group of uninfected newborns will form a cohort to be followed up until 12 months of age monitoring for various neurological sequelae such as hearing loss, neurodevelopmental impairment, ocular damage, cerebral damage and seizures. A comparison of vaccine immune responses between cases of congenital CMV and the CMV uninfected infants to the primary series of vaccines in the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation will be compared. The contribution of CMV infection to neonatal death and stillbirths will be described by minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) for CMV on babies that die during the neonatal period and stillbirths.
The investigator's recent pilot study of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) from a surgically implanted medical device to control the excess eating behaviour characteristic of Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) found that it was safe and acceptable. In addition, there were unanticipated marked improvements in rates of problem behaviours, such as emotional disturbances and verbal and physical outbursts. These observations indicated the need for a trial specifically focusing on the effects of VNS on problem behaviour and also that the use of VNS might be extended to include people with other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum conditions (ASC). The primary aims of this study are: a) to investigate whether VNS, now given by an external medical device, is associated with a significant reduction in the number and severity of maladaptive behaviours in adults with PWS; and b) to undertake a pilot study that includes others with a different neurodevelopmental syndrome who have histories of similar behaviours. The study will be a single case cross-over design with 4 to 6 months baseline phase and a similar period of active treatment. The study cannot be blind as the stimulation is apparent but the participants will wear the device initially for four hours a day, at times convenient to them, with it switched off in the baseline phase and activated, according to standard protocols, in the treatment phase. Six adults with PWS and six with a different neurodevelopmental disorder with histories of significant problem behaviours will be included initially, with a view to extending if the analysis indicates a likely effect. Behaviours will be operationally defined and measured over time using participant and informant diaries with additional secondary outcome measures. Before and during the treatment phases autonomic nervous system and brain biomarkers will be assessed using ambulatory monitoring of heart rate variability and fMRI brain scans.
The aim of this study is to pilot test the Let's Get Organized (LGO) Occupational Therapy intervention in a Swedish context by exploring possible enhancements in time management skills, aspects of executive functioning, and satisfaction with daily occupations in persons with time-management difficulties due to neurodevelopmental and/or mental disorders. Method: A pre-post design with 3 and 12-months follow-up is used. The LGO intervention is a manual-based group intervention aiming to enhance time-management, targeted to persons with mental or neurodevelopmental disorders. The LGO is conducted as 10 weekly 1.5-hour group sessions. Two trained group leaders, lead each group of 6-8 participants. Goal-directed and other learning strategies are used to train effective time management habits such as maintaining a calendar and wearing a watch. All group sessions follow the same format, and each session has a set theme. Group sessions are structured with a slide presentation and a course manual, and information from the group leaders is intermixed with discussion among the participants and tasks to complete. The primary outcome of the study is self-reported time management measured by the Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS-S). Secondary outcomes are executive functioning measured with the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA) and satisfaction with daily occupations, which is measured with the interview-administered questionnaire Satisfaction with Daily Occupations 13 items (SDO-13). Data will be collected before intervention start (pre intervention), after intervention completion (post intervention) and 3 and 12 months post intervention completion. The ATMS will be collected at all four time points. The WCPA and SDO-13 will be collected pre, post and 12 months post intervention.
This project aims to evaluate and establish evidence for a novel, group-based intervention that can help people with cognitive limitations due to mental or neurodevelopmental disorders to improve their ability to manage time and organize activities. This might provide an important step towards establishing healthy life habits, getting or maintaining employment, and managing family life. Time management is a necessary skill for maintaining healthy life habits and daily occupations in modern society. People with limited cognitive function due to, for example, mental or neurodevelopmental disorders, have documented difficulties in time management, which is also related to issues with self-efficacy. Common interventions for persons with poor time management are time-assistive devices and products, but studies show that these devices alone are not enough to cover these people's needs. Structured training is needed, but there is a lack of structured interventions to enhance time management skills. The intervention program "Let's get organized" (LGO) is a manual-based group intervention aiming to enhance time management, targeted to persons with mental or neurodevelopmental disorders. In a recent feasibility study the LGO showed promising results. This project aims to evaluate to what extent the LGO intervention is effective in improving time management, and satisfaction with daily occupations. The proposed project is a randomized-controlled trial carried out in ten psychiatric units in Sweden. Participants (n=104) will be randomly assigned to either LGO group intervention or individual Occupational Therapy intervention for ten weeks .The primary outcome of the study is self-reported time management measured by the Assessment of Time Management Skills. Secondary outcomes are occupational balance, self-efficacy, parental competence and cost-effectiveness.
Infants included in the study will be divided into two groups as healthy infants and cystic fibrosis infants . Demographic, natal and postnatal information of the infants will be available from patient files. 12 months infants with cystic fibrosis and healthy infants will be assessed by the Bayley-III Baby and Child Development Assessment Scale (Bayley III) and the Gross Motor Function Measure. The assessment outcomes of healthy and cystic fibrosis infants will be compared.
The aim of this study is to develop an adapted version of a low-cost parenting program (Parenting for Lifelong Health for Young Children, PLH) to the specific needs of families in three low- and middle income countries (LMICs) in southeastern Europe (Romania, FYR of Macedonia and Republic of Moldova). The investigators want systematically evaluate key barriers and facilitators at the local, national and international levels that impact prevention of child behavioral disorders. The investigators will prepare training materials adapted to Romanian, Moldovian, Albanian, Macedonian, and Russian and train facilitators and mentor coaches in the delivery of the PLH program in each country. Also, a pre-post study will be conducted testing the feasibility of the program and the evaluation and implementation methods with 40 families at each country site. This includes examination of outcomes related to implementation fidelity, program acceptability, and preliminary program effectiveness on reducing child behavior problems and associated risk factors. This feasibility study is part of a larger implementation project. Developed on the MOST framework (the multiphase optimization strategy), this specific study will reflect the implementation of the first phase. There are two more phases to come: the Parenting for Lifelong Health for Young Children program will be optimized within the three countries by determining which components are most efficacious and cost-effective (phase 2). The optimized PLH programs will be tested in three RCTS in the countries (phase 3).
This study entails a "proof of concept" evaluation of a novel intervention, Parents and Infants Engaged (PIE), for prodromal infants at-risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs). The objectives of the current study are to examine whether the PIE intervention (a) transforms parent-infant transactions over time as intended, thereby facilitating increases in the time infants spend in joint engagement with their parents, and (b) is associated with improved social-communication functioning and positive changes in indices of autonomic self-regulation in infants at-risk for NDs.
It is well known that sleep is essential for brain development and learning. Infants require extensive sleep for development of the hippocampus, pons, brainstem, and midbrain and for optimizing physical growth. It is also essential for brain plasticity; the genetically determined ability of the infant brain to change its structure and function in response to the environment. Studies in young animals have shown that sleep deprivation leads to increased programmed cell death, smaller brain size, and loss of brain plasticity, all of which have negative long-term impact on behaviour and learning ability. Infant massage, a form of systematic tactile stimulation by human hands, improves sleep hygiene. Very little is known about how massage influences early brain development but it is certainly linked to the theory of environmental enrichment, which has been well established in animal models. The aim of this project is to optimise the infant's sensory experience through a multi-sensory enrichment programme, including massage (a massage utilising a scented lotion before sleep each day), to encourage more structured sleep and ultimately show improved developmental and cognitive outcomes.
Children with congenital heart disease are at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, these disorders impacting their quality of life and their integration into society. The aim of this study is to detect neurodevelopmental disorders in children (aged from 6 to 66 months) with congenital heart disease in Nord-Pas-De-Calais (France) and to evaluate the frequency and risk factors of these neurodevelopmental disorders for a better follow-up. This study will help implementing a specific program for the evaluation and management of neurodevelopmental disorders in children suffering from congenital heart disease in Nord-Pas-De-Calais and more globally, in the region Hauts-De-France.