Active clinical trials for "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

This study uses functional brain imaging and noninvasive brain stimulation techniques to study the brain basis of developmental disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder and Asperger Disorder. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and recently approved FDA treatment of depression, Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be used to study the neurocircuitry of certain symptom clusters in developmental disorders.

In this study, a selective and multi-stages screening for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in siblings of children with a confirmed ASD is done. The main aims are to estimate the prevalence of NDD among siblings and to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a standardized screening procedure.

Pain insensibility is often described in people with autism. The aim of this study is to test the pain perception in adults with autistic spectrum disorder without intellectual disability. An experimental model of pain is used to measure endogenous modulation systems. Thermic stimulations (tonic heat pain stimulation and cold-pressor test) are used to test excitatory and inhibitory pain mechanisms. Salivary cortisol and automatic nervous system (heart rate and blood pressure with an electrocardiogram (Brest :system dantec keypoint natus G3 ; Paris: nexfin HD®) are also tested and behavioral response to thermal stimulation assessed by an inspired behavior scale.

For many affected individuals, despite impairment and distress, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is recognized and diagnosed late, in school age, adolescence, or even in adulthood, which could be due, among other things, to the use of compensatory strategies such as so-called "camouflaging" by the respective individual. In order to better investigate and quantify these adaptive and compensatory strategies of individuals with autism, the Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q) has recently been developed and validated in the English-speaking world. The CAT-Q is designed to assess the extent of camouflaging behavior, in which autistic individuals consciously or unconsciously attempt to conceal or attenuate their autistic traits in order to better adapt to social situations. So far, however, there is no German-language questionnaire that can be used to validly assess camouflaging. The aim of the planned research project is to psychometrically validate the CAT-Q in German-speaking adolescents aged 14-21 years. The validation of the CAT-Q represents an important basis for further research on the construct camouflaging and can subsequently contribute to an improvement of diagnostics as well as support the development of individual treatment approaches.

The proposed study aims to understand poor sleep as a possible cause to CAPD in children and adolescents with ASD (ASD+) compared to ASD youth without CAPD (ASD-), using both caregiver-report and objective clinician administered measures. Additionally, the study will aim to understand the complex relationship between CAPD, sleep, and other associated phenotypic features of ASD such as executive and psychiatric functioning.

The goal of this prospective observational multicentric cohort study is to evaluate the clinical prognostic value of the speech tracking score of language development in children with ASD aged from 3 years to 4 years and half at inclusion. Participants will followed during 4 years with an annual visit. During these visits, each participant will be clinically evaluated (scales and tests) and performed an EEG-HR recording. Two groups will be formed, one with children diagnosed with ASD with language delay, and a control group composed of non-ASD children without language delay, matched on age and gender with the ASD group.

The role of gut microbiome was recently raised in the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In view of these evidences, together with poor conductance of researches on gut microbiota in ASD patients in Egypt, in addition to the absence of definite medical test or biological marker for diagnosis of ASD, the present study is designed to study clinical risk factor of autism and the predominant gut microbiome in autistic children in an attempt to identify gut bacteria which are likely related to ASD and to correlate these bacteria and clinical variables with the severity of autism. Interestingly, the totality of the studies focusing on the fecal metabolome features in ASD has investigated the differences between subjects with and without this disorder, while ignoring potential correlations between microbiome, metabolome and ASD severity

This multisite study will compare the effectiveness of universal screening by 3 community service systems using Autism Navigator, a highly interactive web platform that includes an automated screening tool, information about autism for families, and a professional development course on the early signs of autism and effective evidence-based practice with extensive video footage to rapidly build the capacity for early detection. The investigators will also conduct a multisite pragmatic randomized clinical trial to test the effectiveness of an evidence-based Family Engagement Intervention compared to Autism Navigator Enhanced Practice implemented by the 3 community service systems with children who have a positive autism screen to increase the number of children who are screened, referred for evaluation, receive a diagnosis, and receive community-based EI between 18-27 months of age. This study will impact family engagement in community screening and diagnosis by demonstrating the effectiveness of brief manualized engagement interventions. Findings will advance science by providing researchers with a method for recruiting a community sample, allowing for research at younger ages, which could accelerate science.

Essential oils (aromatic oils extracted from plant parts) are routinely used by the public and are available on the market. Investigators are conducting this study because it is unknown whether the essential oils formulations will be safe and effective for improving quality of life in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by helping them relax and sleep. Children invited to participate in this study must be between 3-9 years of age and have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Twenty eight children and their families will be enrolled in the study. Participants will try two different fragrant oils in a double-blind randomized order. Each child will receive each treatment for 3 months, with a 1-month "washout" period in between during which no oil is used.

Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs), an evidence-based early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) intervention approach, target key behaviors that help language development. While efforts to use NDBIs are increasing worldwide, important gaps in our knowledge remain on whether the behaviors targeted by NDBIs are cross-culturally valid. This study in South Africa, a multi-cultural setting, will provide critical information on NDBI treatment targets and a novel digital outcome measure of treatment response. COVID-19 adaptations: We aim to develop and implement telehealth NDBI coaching and utilize a mixed methods approach to gather implementation and preliminary effectiveness data on the telehealth intervention.