View clinical trials related to Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
Filter by:Children with special education needs (SEN) (e.g., autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia) who are studying in the mainstream primary schools are commonly found to have difficulties in learning school materials, and controlling their emotion and behaviors in class. Such schooling problems are likely related to their deficient attention, self-control ability and language abilities. As a result, they will easily be stressful, losing confidence, or even be the target of bullying or discrimination. This project aims to evaluate a neuroscience based after-school training program, namely EC Brain Program, to improve academic performance, cognition (attention, self-control and language ability), behaviors and psychological health of primary school students with SEN. The EC Brain Program is composed of computerized training programs that were developed to enhance abilities of attention, self-control and temporal processing (i.e., a fundamental cognitive ability in mastering reading and language skills), and education on basic neuroscience knowledge and ways to enhance brain functions and psychological wellness, e.g., relaxation, stress management and balanced healthy diet. A total of 100 - 250 students with SEN from 10 ordinary primary schools will be recruited in 3-year period. They will be randomly assigned into two groups. Both groups will undergo pre- and post-assessments evaluating their academic performance, cognitive functions, saccadic eye movements, physical and mental health conditions before and after the training. Students in the group A will have to participate in the EC Brain after-school program, whereas students in the group B will join conventional intervention. It is an eight-month weekly program, 90 minutes per session. It is hypothesized that students who have joined the EC Brain Program will show greater extent of improvement in academic performance, behavioral problems, cognitive functions (e.g., attention, learning, self-control, language), saccadic eye movements and psychological wellness than those in the other group. The findings of present study will shed some light on the effectiveness and applicability of the EC Brain Program as a potential after-school neuropsychological intervention for students with SEN.
This is a naturalistic treatment and follow-up study of youth with bipolar spectrum disorders (BSDs) across four US sites of The Childhood Bipolar Network (CBN). CBN sites have expertise in diagnosing, assessing, and treating BSDs in youth. The primary aims of this study are to (1) identify and reliably diagnose youth (ages 9 to 19 yrs) with full bipolar disorder (BD) and BSDs, and (2) examine predictors (e.g., mood instability, inflammatory marker C-reactive protein) of clinical outcome over a 12 month period. Participating youth will initially complete a screening that includes a structured diagnostic interview and a baseline blood draw to measure inflammatory processes. Youth with BSD and parents (80 families) will be asked to participate in multiple follow up research visits with interviews, rating instruments, and questionnaires. Per established CBN guidelines, study psychiatrists will provide and track medication management and sites will also track psychosocial treatments. This study ultimately aims to further understanding of best practice pediatric BSD psychiatric and psychosocial treatments and development of a standardized and validated set of clinical tools for patient assessment, diagnosis, and tracking.
Among risk factors of neurodevelopmental disorder is congenital hearing loss. However, congenital deafness is neither necessary nor sufficient for the occurrence of warning signs of neurodevelopmental disorder. The investigative team hypothesizes that the co-occurrence of these two clinical entities results from a common origin, within a syndromic diagnosis including other medical issues. These situations would therefore be very different from those of babies suffering from isolated sensorineural deafness. This study aims to identify which factors are statistically correlated with the association of congenital deafness and early symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorder, thanks to a partnership between a regional center for psychiatry of deaf children (Therapeutic Childhood and Deafness Unit of St Maurice Hospitals, UTES) and a pediatric audiophonology department (ENT department of the Necker-Enfants Malades hospital). This work is based on a cohort of 26 children under ten months of age diagnosed with severe to profound congenital sensorineural hearing loss. As part of their pre-implantation cochlear assessment, a consultation was filmed to precisely analyze the interactional and sensorimotor skills of these children (clinical observations, administration of a specific evaluation grid called Olliac Grid), after reviewing the films. The investigative team will then be able to grade the neurodevelopmental risk. In order to clarify what factors are linked with a neurodevelopmental risk, medical data concerning the child's family context, birth, and audiological profile will also be collected, and put in perspective with the assessed neurodevelopmental risk gradation.
Neonatal intensive care relies on indwelling plastic medical devices fundamental in respiratory support, intravenous catheterization, and nutrition. While being in a critical developmental period, constant exposure to these invasive medical devices puts premature neonates at risk of plasticizers' potential toxicity. Despite novel regulations and development of alternative plasticizers (AP), reference to guide manufacturers and an overview of the prevailing exposure levels to DEHP or alternatives in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are still missing. The three main objectives of this project are: (1) to assess current exposure to plasticizers in the NICU, (2) to identify the sources of exposure and (3) to study the resultant long-term health risk in premature neonates. These objectives are addressed in three work packages (WP). In work package 1, in vivo exposure of premature neonates to phthalates and alternative plasticizers is assessed by determining their metabolites in biological matrices (urine and hair). Work package 2 explores ex vivo leaching characteristics of different plasticizers from medical devices used in the NICU. Finally, Work package 3 studies the long-term neurocognitive and lung development in relation to plasticizer exposure in the NICU.
To prevent mental health problems among 7-12 children from orphanages reunited with their biological or extended families in Azerbaijan, this study will refine and test three evidence-based intervention approaches (a) family strengthening intervention; b) mental health screening and referral for treatment; and c) economic empowerment in the form of Child Savings Accounts). The study will use a randomized experimental design and participating families will be assigned to receive the family strengthening, mental health, or economic interventions. Eligible and consenting 400 child-caregivers dyads will complete baseline, 1-year, and 2-year follow-up measures. Additionally, post-intervention qualitative interviews (n=60) will solicit narrative information about participants' and services providers' reactions and experiences with each intervention component and will provide more comprehensive evidence about the interventions' efficacy. It is hypothesized that by enhancing children's coping skills, strengthening child-parent relationships, and reducing parental stress, an intervention can help children demonstrate fewer symptoms of: a) disturbances of attachment; b) internalizing problems (depressive or anxious mood), c) externalizing problems (aggressive, delinquent, or disruptive behaviors); d) post-traumatic stress; and e) lower prevalence of diagnoses (e.g. depression, anxiety, PTSD, oppositional-defiant disorder, and reactive attachment disorder).
Very early onset intra uterine growth restriction (IUGR) affects 5-10% of pregnancies and is the second leading cause of perinatal mortality. However, there is few studies on this subject, especially concerning the neurodevelopment outcomes. Objective: to compare neurodevelopmental outcomes at the age of 2 of very preterm infants with antenatal duagnosis of severe and early IUGR in comparison with infants of the same gestational age, same sex and over the same period with no IUGR. Hypothesis : Preterm infants with early and severe antenatal IUGR have more neurodevelopmental delay than infants with no IUGR.
This study seeks to understand the relationship between prenatal maternal air pollution exposure and offspring risk for ADHD and examine two potential -modifiable- mechanisms: prenatal maternal inflammation and offspring sleep problems. We will employ a longitudinal neuroimaging study design and leverage a well-characterized intergenerational cohort of Puerto Ricans to address prior literature's limitations. This will be the first study to use infant neuroimaging to disassociate the effects of prenatal pollution exposure from those of postnatal pollution exposure, adversity and disadvantage, and offspring genetic risk for ADHD.
The goals of this study are to: evaluate and validate the low-cost, transportable, easily-administered Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT) for neurodevelopmental assessment of children aged 4-8 years old in Malawi, as compared to the gold-standard yet more cumbersome and costly Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-II (KABC-II) among (1) n=500 formerly preterm children and (2) n=500 formerly term children. Additionally, we will evaluate the effects of gestational xylitol exposure compared to a lack of gestational xylitol exposure on neurodevelopmental outcomes of children aged 4-8 years old in Malawi through the following four neurodevelopmental tests: (3) KABC-II (cognitive outcomes), (4) EF Touch (executive functions), (5) Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (social-emotional outcomes), and (6) MDAT (motor and cognitive outcomes). The researchers will leverage subjects who completed the parent Prevention of Prematurity and Xylitol Trial, which enrolled 10069 pregnant individuals in Malawi and demonstrated a significant 24% reduction in incidence of preterm birth and low birthweight offspring in gravidae who chewed xylitol-containing chewing gum compared to those who did not. By ensuring that these offspring did not have higher rates of neurodevelopmental impairment, the study will promote promising multi-center international and domestic trial evaluating the impact of xylitol-containing chewing gum use and optimal dosage during pregnancy.
Despite improved survival of extremely premature infants in recent decades, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) graduates are diagnosed with asthma, sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in childhood, and neurodevelopmental impairments (NDI) at significant rates, disproportionate to their term peers. Early detection and intervention are critical to mitigate the impact of these impairments. Mechanisms leading from premature birth to these undesirable outcomes remain unclear, and accurate prognostic measures are lacking. This study wants to learn if these problems are related to certain patterns of breathing that babies had while they were in the NICU.
This study aims to transform the current clinical practice paradigm by leveraging an internally designed web-based model of delivery of care called Consultagene to provide remote evaluation and genomic sequencing for improving genetic health of less resourced children with rare disorders living along the Texas-Mexico border.