Active clinical trials for "Autistic Disorder"

In addition to the core symptoms, children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit disruptive behavior problems including irritability, tantrums, noncompliance, and aggression. This is a pilot study of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, also known as Anger Control Training, in adolescents with high-functioning ASD. CBT teaches children to recognize antecedents and consequences of problem behavior and to use emotion regulation and problem-solving skills to reduce irritability, aggression and noncompliance. This form of CBT has been well-studied in typically developing children with disruptive behavior and we are investigating if this treatment can be feasible and helpful, with appropriate modifications, for irritability and disruptive behavior in ASD.

In addition to the core symptoms, children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit disruptive behavior problems including irritability, tantrums, noncompliance, and aggression. The purpose of this study is to investigate cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for disruptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability. This pilot study will include children with ASD and IQ between 55 and 85 in an open study of CBT. CBT is modified in this study to reduce complexity of activities during therapy sessions but retains all key elements and principles of CBT. Assessments of irritability and disruptive behavior will include clinical interviews, parent ratings and child self-report measures. Study participants will be asked to complete functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate biomarkers of social perception and emotion regulation before and after CBT.

The purpose of this study to measure brain functioning before and after stress-reduction classes to better understand how symptom improvements relate to brain functioning in adults with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two stress reduction classes that will meet once a week for 8 weeks. One group will complete a structured training program called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) that involves teaching about increased mindfulness strategies and gentle stretching. The other group will review relaxation techniques and other stress reduction strategies and will include social support. Structural and functional MRI, EEG, and behavioral self-report data will be collected to understand more about how the brain changes in subtle ways when people feel better and are more aware of their emotional state.

The aim of the study is to investigate the validity, reliability and clinical features of a Danish version of the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R). A self-reporting scale devise used as a supplementary questionnaire in diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults. Furthermore the validity of novel screening questionnaire: SchiZotypal Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ), will be investigated. ZAQ is developed to discriminate Schizotypal Disorder from ASD.

An MRI Study in Subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Subjects with Food Addictive Disorder compared to healthy volunteers.

Nearly 50,000 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition from high school to adult life each year with only 25% of these transition-age youth with ASD (TAY-ASD) getting jobs within 2 years of graduation. TAY-ASD's ability to sustain employment is even more challenging due in part to their social cognitive deficits (e.g., poorly reading social cues) that disrupt communicating with customers, coworkers, and supervisors. Research shows nearly 90% of job dismissals among TAY-ASD are attributed to poor work-based social functioning (e.g., poorly communicating with upset customers). The subsequent unemployment has damaging effects on their mental, physical, and economic health. A critical gap in federally-mandated services to support youth with ASD as they transition from school-to-adult life is the lack of evidence-based practice to enhance work-based social functioning. Given that TAY-ASD report computerized training tools (developed by the investigators and others) are highly acceptable and improve their real-world outcomes, the investigators propose to address this critical barrier to sustained employment by developing and evaluating a novel and scalable computerized training tool to enhance participant conversations with customers, coworkers and supervisors at work. The investigators propose to develop and test the effectiveness of Social Cognitive and Affective Learning for Work (Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday), a computerized training tool. Work Chat will have three tiers of instruction designed to help TAY-ASD prepare for effective workplace communication. Tier 1 will adapt existing evidence-based practices to design an e-learning curriculum that trains social cognitive strategies to help guide work-related conversations (e.g., reading social cues or regulating emotions during supervisor feedback). In Tier 2, SIMmersion's PeopleSim® technology will enable TAY-ASD to apply social cognitive strategies learned in Tier 1 to repetitively practice simulated conversations with a fictional customer, coworker, or supervisor. In Tier 3, SIMmersion will innovate PeopleSim to exist in an interactive 3-D environment to create a virtual workday with interconnected activities were the actions made early in the day influence conversations later in the day (e.g., a poor customer interaction may result in constructive feedback from a supervisor). Phase I (Feasibility) was completed with application HUM00177878. Phase II (Efficacy) Aims: Aim 1) Complete Work Chat development using an iterative process that includes initial and ongoing individual-level feedback from Phase I participants and the community and scientific advisory boards to complete the product that will be evaluated in Aims 2-3. Aim 2) Conduct a Randomized Controlled Effectiveness-Implementation hybrid trial in a school setting to evaluate Work Chat. The investigators will recruit and randomly assign n=338 TAY-ASD (90% of sample frame) enrolled in school-based standard transition services (STS) to the Work Chat group (STS+SW) or a STS group (STS). The hypothesis is that STS+SW, compared to STS, will show greater gains in: (H1) social cognition and (H2) work-based social functioning; as well as (H3) reduced anxiety about work-based social encounters, and (H4) greater sustained employment by 9-month follow-up. The investigators will test mechanistic hypotheses (H5a-b) that social cognitive ability (H5a) and work-based social functioning (H5b) mediate the effect of treatment (STS+SW vs. STS) on sustained employment. For the implementation evaluation, the investigators will conduct a multilevel, mixed-method process evaluation of Work Chat's acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility. Aim 3) Use community participatory research methods to prepare for commercialization. The investigators will conduct a parallel multilevel, mixed method implementation evaluation that focuses on the Work Chat delivery system regarding its feasibility, sustainability, scalability, and generalizability by conduct focus groups with delivery staff and administrators. These groups will discuss potential facilitators and barriers to Work Chat implementation, adoption, and sustainability.

This project, Refining and Implementing Technology-Enhanced Family Navigation to Promote Early Access and Engagement with Mental Health Services for Youth with Autism (ATTAIN NAV) is focused on adapting and implementing family navigation in primary care settings to help accelerate and facilitate engagement in mental health and community services for children with autism and their families.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (360° video) compared to a social story for reducing pre-visit dental anxiety for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) improve the dental visit experience for children, their families, and clinicians. The secondary objective is to perform a cost comparison analysis of the 360° video product as compared to a social story for Holland Bloorview's dental clinic.

The investigators will test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a Mobile game system meant to generate valuable data for measuring progress and building novel artificial intelligence models while delivering impactful education for and treatment of children with developmental delays such as autism. Investigators will enroll children with autism aged 2-8 years old and their neurotypical sibling or an unrelated neurotypical control (aged 2-8 years old).

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy for autistic children aged 7 - 11. Researchers will compare the impact of adding improvisational music therapy to usual care alone for autistic children over a 12-week period. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the following two conditions: the Improvisational Music Therapy (intervention) Group or the support as usual (control) Group. The aim is to achieve seven overarching objectives: To determine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving social communication in autistic children. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving communication skills in autistic children. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in reducing psychosocial problems in autistic children. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving wellbeing of autistic children. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving adaptive functioning in autistic children. To examine whether 12 weeks of individual sessions of improvisational music therapy in addition to support as usual is superior to support as usual alone in improving anxiety in autistic children. To examine whether the therapeutic relationship predicts the development of social, communication and language skills among autistic children.