Active clinical trials for "Asperger Syndrome"

If autism is the consequence of a chronic inflammatory process preventing the infant brain from forming the proper neural connections, then treatment that reduces inflammation might have a positive impact on autism. IGIV treatment has been known to suppress inflammation and has been used in the treatment of inflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases.

The diagnosis of developmental disorders in adults is still difficult. Indeed, in France, there is not questionnaires to easily and accurately diagnose this disorder. Several diagnostic scales were developed in English. Among them, RAADS-R scale, which is a clinical tool that aims to better identify autism spectrum disorders including mild forms in adult people and help to diagnose of high-functioning autism . The objective of this study is to perform a complete validation of this scale in the french version.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder with prominent reciprocal social and communication impairment and restricted repetitive behavior or interest. ASD is a highly heritable disease with tremendous impact on individuals, families, and society. In addition to the interview instruments, self-administered rating scales are commonly used in screening, assessment of symptoms' change, and evaluation of intervention effects. The Social Responsiveness Scale, the Childhood Asperger's Syndrome Test, and the Autism Spectrum Quotient are internationally widely used rating scales measuring autistic traits in both clinical and community samples in western counties. Establishment of internationally-recognized reliable and valid instruments is not only useful for clinical screening, but also helpful in future functional outcomes, neurocognitive, genetic and brain imaging studies.

The purpose of this study is to identify psychopathology (psychiatric symptoms) that can differentiate between Schizotypal Disorder (SD) and Asperger Syndrome (normal IQ, no language impairment Autism Spectrum Disorder) (AS) in young adults. With our present knowledge, the differentiation between AS and SD can be difficult, as they both present with social difficulties, odd (but not psychotic) behaviour, and a 'feeling of not being as everyone else'. Studies suggest that adults with AS symptoms are either overlooked, or diagnosed within the schizophrenia spectrum in Adult Psychiatry. A 'correct' diagnosis is important, as it is the first step towards the most optimal plan, treatment and rehabilitation for the patient. The only way to diagnose psychiatric illness is the description of present psychopathology. To identify symptoms that can differentiate between the two disorders, we will use semi-structured interviews to explore present psychopathology in young adults with typical symptoms of SD and AS respectively, with special focus on presence of alterations in self-experience. Alterations in self-experience are typical for the schizophrenia spectrum, and are therefore not thought to be equally present in AS and SD. The hypotheses are that the total level of altered experiences is higher in SD, than in AS, and with a different pattern of altered experiences in SD than in AS. If the hypotheses are true, an examination of altered self-experience will be valuable to aid clinical differentiation between the two disorders.

The Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is recruiting parents of children with a pervasive developmental disorder (including autism, autistic spectrum disorder, PDD-NOS, Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett syndrome) to participate in a study to help determine potential causes of the increasing prevalence of these disorders. The study is being conducted using an anonymous on-line survey available to parents through a secure link. The study consists of approximately 90 questions about the affected child, siblings, parents, and grandparents, which will take roughly 10-15 minutes to complete. Several families will also be invited to participate in a phone interview. Both the survey and the phone interview are conducted using a self-designated code to protect anonymity and patient privacy. No identifying information such as name, date of birth, address, or phone number will be asked. Only questions regarding the year of birth of family members will be asked.

The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility and the effects of family-based interventions for children (aged 5-12) with neuropsychiatric and psychiatric disorders in Finnish health care settings.

This study investigates face processing, response inhibition and phoneme processing in autistic adults by fMRI.

This study will explore predictors of how caregivers might adapt to children diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), including autism, Asperger s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett s disorder or other not specified PDD. PDD presents particular challenges for caregivers because of the communication and socialization challenges of affected children and because of the uncertainty surrounding the cause, prognosis and recurrence risks. People 18 years of age or older who are the primary caregiver for a child diagnosed with a PDD may be eligible for this study. Participants fill out a survey, either online or in hard copy, that includes information in the following categories: How being a caregiver for a child with a PDD has impacted the caregiver. How much control the caregiver feels that he or she or others have over certain aspects of their child s PDD. What the caregiver thinks caused the child s PDD. What coping techniques the caregiver uses in caring for a child with a PDD. How uncertain the caregiver feels about his or her child s PDD. What the caregiver feels about him- or herself as a caregiver of a child with a PDD. General questions about the caregiver, his or her family and the child with a PDD.

This multi-center, non-drug study will explore the relationship between exploratory biomarkers and functional dimensions in male adult individuals with Autistic Disorder or Asperger's Syndrome and healthy volunteer controls. Subjects will undergo a number of assessments on study visit Day 1.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder will have abnormal DESA® results. Our objective is to use neuroelectrical measures to determine the degree of processing abnormalities in individuals with Autism. The study will survey processing patterns and will locate and evaluate the degree(s) of abnormalities for further study. The abnormal results of comprehensive neuroelectrical evaluations of individuals with Autism when compared to the normative database will provide objective, verifiable, neurophysiological information with which to form novel approaches to the disorder.