Ziprasidone in Children With Autism: A Pilot Study
AutismThe purpose of this study is to see if the drug, ziprasidone, is effective in treating problems in adolescent associated with autism.
Early Characteristics of Autism
AutismAutistic DisorderThis study will identify factors that distinguish children with autism from children with developmental delay and those with normal development and study the efficacy of intensive behavioral therapy in children with autism.
Safety and Effectiveness of D-Cycloserine in Children With Autism
Autistic DisorderThis study will determine the effectiveness of D-cycloserine in reducing symptoms of autism in autistic children.
Methylphenidate for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism in Children
AutismAttention Deficit Disorder With HyperactivityThis study examined the cognitive and behavioral differences in children who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with or without additional symptoms of ADHD. The study also examined the effectiveness of a range of doses of methylphenidate in improving cognitive and behavioral outcomes in children with both ASD and ADHD.
RUPP PI PDD: Drug and Behavioral Therapy for Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Child Development DisordersPervasiveThis 24-week study will compare the safety and effectiveness of medication treatment alone (risperidone or aripiprazole) to medication treatment in combination with a parent management training program.
Melodic-based Communication Therapy for Promoting Spoken Language Development in Individuals With...
Nonverbal and Low Verbal AutismThe purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of Melodic Based Communication Therapy (M.B.C.T.) for increasing oral expressive skills in nonverbal children with autism spectrum disorders. MBCT has previously been shown to facilitate an improvement in expressive vocabulary, verbal imitative abilities, number of vocalizations, and social language development in nonverbal children with autism ages 5-7. However, earlier studies were small and did not examine the effects of M.B.C.T. on a younger and older population. This study will examine its effectiveness across a broader sample group. Additionally, this study will examine further predictors of success including but not limited to chronological age, developmental age, the frequency of repetitive/stereotypic behaviors, receptive language score, and social language score.
UCB Stem Cells for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism Spectrum DisorderPurpose. The goals of the study are to assess the safety of the intravenous infusion of umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells in patients with autism and to confirm changes in social/ communicative skills and cognitive functioning after four infusions of ABO/Rh-matched UCB stem cells. Material and methods. The sample comprises 30 patients (27 males, 3 females) aged between 3 and 11 years with ASD under the care of the National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Neurology (Saint-Petersburg, Russia). Participants are randomly assigned to either the control group (14 males, 1 female) or the experimental group (13 males, 2 females). The experimental group receives intravenous injections of UCB cells four times with a two-week gap between injections. The control group receives standard therapy. The dynamic of cognitive functions and social/communicative skills assess with Checklist for autism spectrum disorders (CASD), Autism treatment evaluation checklist (ATEC), subscales of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) - "Digit Span", "Picture completion", "Block design", "Coding".
Services to Enhance Social Functioning in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders
AutismAutism Spectrum Disorder3 moreThe purpose of this study is to test a novel, three-part cognitive behavioral treatment strategy to improve social functioning in adults with autism spectrum disorder. The treatment, named TUNE In (Training to Understand and Navigate Emotions and Interactions), includes components to address the many behavioral domains involved in social functioning, including social motivation, social anxiety, social cognition, social skills, and generalization of the skills to community settings. The Investigators will test the efficacy of TUNE In to improve social functioning in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), using a randomized controlled trial using the SRS-2 as the primary outcome measure.
Piloting an Enhanced Protocol of Occupational Therapy in an Equine Environment for Youth With Autism...
Autism Spectrum DisorderThe purpose of this study is to learn about occupational therapy for youth with autism in a traditional clinic environment, and in an equine environment. 20 youth with autism will participate in 10 weeks of occupational therapy in a clinic environment, followed by 10 weeks of occupational therapy in an equine environment. Caregivers will complete online surveys about their child's behavior. Occupational therapists and other stakeholders will provide feedback about the interventions. The therapy sessions that involve horses will be videotaped, and a researcher will look at the behaviors of the horses involved in the intervention. We will use the results of this study to improve the quality of both interventions.
SweetDreams Sleep Study for Children With Autism
Autism Spectrum DisorderInsomniaThis proposal will acquire preliminary data on the feasibility and effectiveness of an innovative and scalable strategy for improving access to effective sleep health care for preschool-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The investigators will develop and test an on-line delivery adaptation of the existing behavioral sleep interventions for preschool aged children.