Active clinical trials for "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

This study is a 12-week randomized-controlled trial of memantine hydrochloride (Namenda) for the treatment of social impairment in youth with Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, and related conditions. Eligible participants will be males and females ages 8-18. This study consists of up to 6 visits to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and insomnia, and their parent(s) will undergo 4 sessions of behavioral therapy for sleep problems followed by 4 bimonthly booster sessions. Children and their families will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: cognitive behavioral therapy (in-person), cognitive behavioral therapy (remote), or behavioral therapy (remote). Arousal will be measured through heart-rate variability. Sleep and secondary outcomes (child daytime behavior, parent sleep) will be collected at baseline (weeks 1-2 before starting the treatment), post-treatment (weeks 6-8 from baseline), 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up.

This project explores the association between learning and cognitive flexibility by testing whether a cognitive behavioral intervention designed to improve flexibility in ASD changes learning and associated neural activation using model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (m-fMRI). The study proposes that variability in learning mechanisms is associated with behavioral flexibility and explains differences in adaptive and treatment outcomes. The study employs a longitudinal case-controlled design in 60 14-18 year old youth with ASD at 3 time-points 8 months apart, each including m-fMRI during learning and behavioral measurement of executive and adaptive function. Aim 1 tests the hypothesis that individual variation in learning biases and their neural correlates predicts behavioral flexibility and is stable over time. Aim 2 tests plasticity of learning mechanisms induced by a cognitive-behavioral intervention for flexibility. Aim 3 tests hypothesis about intervention-induced plasticity of neural functional connectivity.

Clinically, infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder often display gross motor delays in supine, prone, and sitting skills in their first year of life . Studies reveal that motor abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorder can occur very early in developmental trajectory.

The investigator would like to investigate the impact of intermittent theta burst stimulation over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on emotion regulation in autism spectrum disorder

The investigator would like to investigate the impact of theta burst stimulation over right inferior frontal gyrus in autism spectrum disorder

This study aims to establish a cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) based virtual exposure (VR) exposure program to train ASD adults coping with everyday sensory scenarios. Through the practice and training, the ASD participants may learn the strategy to deal with the common sensory scenarios and master the anxiety around the exposure. The anticipatory anxiety and the maladaptive behaviors may be decreased along with the process of desensitization, while the functional impairment related to sensory sensitivity can partly be recovered.

The ASD Screening and Parent ENgagement (ASPEN) program is a culturally adapted, parent-mediated intervention program. The ASPEN program is tailored to address social communication and behavioral difficulties that young children with developmental delays may experience in early childhood. The ASPEN Program includes 12 sessions where parents are provided with psychoeducation about self-care, child development, and evidence-based strategies. Coaching is also provided to train parents on using evidence-based strategies within the home setting. The ASPEN program is delivered by a student clinician and a peer leader. We hypothesize that coaching strategies delivered by the clinician will lead to primary family caregivers learning evidence-based strategies and this will result in improved child outcomes. We hypothesize that education and family support delivered by peer leaders will help primary family caregivers learn social support strategies and this will lead to improved parent outcomes.

The goal of this study is to target the neurobiology of restricted and repetitive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder using N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a well-tolerated nutritional supplement that has shown promise for reducing symptom severity in recent small-scale trials. The findings from this research will shed light on the mechanisms of action underlying the clinical benefits of NAC.

The following study aims to assess the efficacy of the game-based digital therapeutic, GuessWhat, in improving adaptive socialization skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). GuessWhat is a mobile application (available for free for iOS and Android) which contains a suite of games: pro-social charades, emotion guessing, and quiz. Participant families will use their personal smartphones to download the app and play it with their child according to a predetermined regimen.