Active clinical trials for "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

The main goal of the study is to look at the effects of intranasal oxytocin on the brain in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Oxytocin is a hormone that exists naturally in the body and the brain, affecting a wide range of social behaviors and emotions. The investigators will study the effects of different treatments (3 doses of oxytocin and one dose of placebo) on brain functional connectivity at rest in patients with ASD, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Investigators also seek to study how the effects of oxytocin treatment can be affected by genetic, immune and environmental factors.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of a 9-week, randomized trial of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) compared to placebo in 14 children (age 5 to 12 years) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a moderate level of repetitive self-injurious behavior (SIB). Additional aims are to evaluate the positive predictive value of a screening method to classify children with automatically maintained self-injurious behavior; to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of NAC for reducing repetitive SIB in children with ASD; and to evaluate biomarkers and possible mechanisms of action of NAC in children with ASD.

A randomized controlled trial (at sites) comparing the efficacy of the established AIR-P Dental Toolkit (control condition) to a combined regimen involving the Dental Toolkit and parent-mediated behavioral intervention (intervention condition) to improve home dental care, oral health outcomes, and dental office visit experiences.

Because oral probiotics reported to potentially induce endogenous Oxytocin, and Oxytocin has been reported to improve social behaviors, the investigators will conduct a pilot trial to compare the effects of probiotics and Oxytocin on social behavioral changes in ASD children. Additionally, the investigators will check oxytocin levels, and perform brain fMRI in some subjects, in order to determine which treatment is more efficient, sustainable, and practical, and whether both treatments in combination are better than either treatment alone. If the trial is conclusive, the investigators will conduct a trial in large scale to understand more the mechanism of ASD behaviors and corresponding effective interventions.

In this proposed study, the investigators will evaluate the the efficacy, safety and related mechanism of sulforaphane in treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study will recruit 120 ASD patients, then these patients will be randomized to sulforaphane group or placebo group (60 patients per arm) for 12 weeks clinic trial. Clinical efficacy and safety assessment will be done at screen/baseline, 4 week, 8 week and 12 week. The specific aims are to compare sulforaphane versus placebo on: 1) clinical core symptoms; 2) other behavioral problems and adaptive behaviors. Biological samples also will be collected, and stored to research related mechanisms.

The purpose of this study is to test whether Direct Instruction - Language for Learning (DI-LL) is an effective way to teach language skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and moderate language delay. Direct Instruction - Language for Learning (DI-LL) uses face to face instruction and specific lessons to teach children language skills. This method has been used previously in children with language delays, but it has not been carefully studied in children with autism spectrum disorder. This study will compare DI-LL and ongoing treatment as usual to treatment as usual (speech therapy, language services, etc.) alone.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are increasing each year. There are about 1 in 160 children for the age group of 6-12 years old in Australia are diagnosed with ASD. Children with ASD have impairment in two common areas including: i) social and communication and ii) repetitive and stereotypical patterns of behaviours. These common features result in behavioural problems which negatively impact children's participation in school, activities of daily living and social engagement. Therefore, there is a need for effective interventions to overcome the behavioural problems in children with ASD. The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of sensory integration (SI) and self-regulated learning versus an activity-based control programme in reducing behavioural problems in children with ASD that interfere with their daily livings, school, and social engagement. The study will adopt a randomized controlled trial design with three intervention groups: I) self-regulated learning, II) sensory integration and III) activity-based intervention as the control group.

The Social ABCs is an innovative parent-mediated intervention for toddlers with confirmed or suspected Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The intervention draws on what is known about core, early emerging impairments in ASD, and on evidence-based Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and associated parent training programs for enhancing development in children with ASD. Completion of a comprehensive pilot study set the stage for a randomized control trial (RCT) of the Social ABCs. The purpose of this RCT is to evaluate the efficacy of the Social ABCs intervention program on improving spoken language skills and positive parent-child emotion sharing in toddlers with signs of or a diagnosis of ASD.

This study aims to demonstrate that fMRI neurofeedback training improves the identification and comprehension of emotional facial expressions (and overall social behaviour) in subjects with ASD. The intervention setup provides structured presentation of emotional facial expressions and the associated tools for mental imagery. The investigators hypothesize that the accomplishment of the proposed competence training improves the subjects ability to comprehend facial expressions, identify emotions and be able to correctly express them. Intervention Type is a Device (brain computer interface using brain imaging signals) and the specific Intervention Name is Neurofeedback. Structure: (1) initial eligibility screening, (2) pre-intervention (first week of study, baseline outcome measures and additional evaluations), (3) intervention process (8 weeks), (4) post-intervention (outcome measures and additional evaluations), and (5) follow-up (outcome measures at 6 months).

This study is designed to test the safety and efficacy of a single, intravenous dose of suramin in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).