Active clinical trials for "Autistic Disorder"

The aim of the study is to localise brain regions involved in objects recognition, in planification and adjustment of grasping, in prehension with and without eye control. The study is conducted in normal and autistic adults. We hypothesize different activations in these two populations.

Background: - Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a functional imaging technique that can be uses light to study brain function while allowing for movement. To look at blood flow in the brain, NIRS uses a low-power light source with detectors that see how the light changes as it passes through brain tissue. Brain blood flow can indicate which parts of the brain are active during different tasks. Researchers want to study children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and will use NIRS to compare the blood flow in the brain of children with ADHD and ASD with that of typically developing children. Objectives: To see how well NIRS can detect changes in brain blood flow during tests of thinking and memory in children. To compare blood flow in the brains of typically developing children and those with ADHD or ASD. Eligibility: - Children between 4 and 8 years of age with ASD, ADHD, or children with no psychiatric diagnoses. Design: Participants will be screened for eligibility. Those who are taking stimulant medication for ADHD or ASD will need to stop taking it for 3 days before the study visit. After participating in a screening assessment, all participants will have one study visit. At this visit, they will have be asked to complete two tasks during a NIRS scan. For both tasks, they will react to images on a computer screen. This visit will last about 2 hours. This is a testing study only. No blood or other samples will be needed for this study.

The aim is to evaluate the effects of a dog-assisted therapy program on physical function and communication in a sample comprised of 24 adults with autism spectrum disorder. The sample will be divided into 2 groups, a control group and an experimental group. Changes after 10 weeks (20 sessions) will be compared between-groups.

This study will investigate the acceptability and preliminary effectiveness of training parents to use a structured communication intervention that is aimed towards helping children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This intervention has demonstrated benefits for non-autistic children in known areas of difficulty found with autistic individuals. There are currently few evidence-based interventions for school-aged children with ASD who have no other language or intellectual disabilities and are educated in mainstream schools. We will evaluate the benefits of training parents to use a freely available communication technique designed to tackle underlying psychological processes crucial to later development.

To address developmental service navigation by families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) an innovative paper-based tracking tool called the Pediatric Developmental Passport (Passport) was created by Dr. Elizabeth Young at St. Michael's Hospital. The Passport was adapted through a partnership between St. Michael's hospital and Autism Films Inc. into a mobile application called My Autism Passport (MAP). MAP allows families to learn about, and manage publicly-funded ASD services from their mobile device. Users can locate resources within their region, and track their progress in accessing services across multiple service agencies. The user can also set reminders on MAP which will be synced with their calendars, record notes, and read short summaries of the services offered by regional agencies. In this way, the application keeps families engaged, and allows them to take control of their child's care. The feasibility of the MAP mobile application will be assessed by clinicians and end users. Clinicians from five developmental diagnostic organizations that have more than one year of experience diagnosing and providing follow up care to children with ASD will be informed of the study and invited to participate in recruitment in their respective practices. Caregivers of a child that is given a new diagnosis of ASD will be invited to participate in the study and be randomized to the control group or non control group and may have access to the application for 18 months. During the 18 month period, data on how caregivers are using the app will be collected. At 6, 12 and 18 months, caregivers will be invited to participate in questionnaires on number of services accessed, parent stress levels and self-efficacy levels. Questionnaires and interviews will be quantitatively analyzed for differences between groups, and findings will be used to improve the app prior to a larger prospective clinical trial.

Participation in structured activities and physical activity (PA) have been linked to several indicators of positive development such as self-esteem and psychological health as well as greater academic outcomes and lower school drop-out rates. Despite this, 77% of boys and 80% of girls aged 5-15 in the UK also fall below the national physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day. Children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) may be at particular risk for inactivity as they are more likely to experience barriers to participation in these types of activities and motor skills impairments, common in people with ASC, can further limit participation in PA. Studies that have attempted to increase PA in young people with autism have shown reduction in problem behaviours such as inattention and aggression and increase in positive behaviours such as sleep, improvements in quality of life, academic performance and physical competence, and reductions in stress. The primary research aim is to investigate whether participation in a 10-week group based activity programme affects social skills and problem behaviours in CYP with ASC. It is hypothesised that children and young people (CYP) participating in the 10-week group based activity programme will show greater improvements in social skills and a greater reduction in problem behaviours than CYP not participating in the 10-week activity programme (control condition). Participants will be assigned to either the experimental condition (10-week activity programme) or waitlist control group. Participants in the 10-week activity programme will participate in group based activities including; 'pick up and play' sessions, swimming sessions and sport specific sessions coached by local sports teams. The 10-week activity programme consists of 1, 50 minute session per week for 10-weeks. Questionnaire data will be collected pre and post intervention to see if there are any differences in social skills and problem behaviour scores between the experimental and control group for CYP with ASC.

Autism is a well-recognized neurodevelopmental disorder severely affecting the health of children. While the unclear neurobiological basis of autism and the lack of effective medication, the most commonly used approach for treatment is behavioral intervention. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the intervention therapy remains incompletely understood. The current project aims to explore the impacts of different early behavioral intervention methods on brain plasticity of autism using multimodal MRI technique and provide guidelines for the intervention and treatment of autism by evaluating the efficiency of these methods.

This is a prospective, longitudinal, exploratory, open study with a 6-month follow-up period to explore via a specific Smartphone© application the evolution of a child's behavior over 6 months and the (psychological and social) effects of these changes on the family.

Participation in structured activities and physical activity (PA) have been linked to several indicators of positive development such as self-esteem and psychological health as well as greater academic outcomes and lower school drop-out rates. Despite this, 77% of boys and 80% of girls aged 5-15 in the UK also fall below the national physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day. Children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) may be at particular risk for inactivity as they are more likely to experience barriers to participation in these types of activities and motor skills impairments, common in people with ASC, can further limit participation in PA. Studies that have attempted to increase PA in young people with autism have shown reduction in problem behaviours such as inattention and aggression and increase in positive behaviours such as sleep, improvements in quality of life, academic performance and physical competence, and reductions in stress. The primary research aim is to investigate whether participation in a 8-week group based activity programme affects social skills and problem behaviours in CYP with ASC.

Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often undergo an Electroencephalography (EEG) as part of routine work up. These children present a challenge to successful EEG execution, due to a lack of co-operation, and thus, are often in need of sedation. Historically we have used orally administered, Triclofos Sodium (TFS) - pharmacologically and physiologically similar to chloral hydrate, for sedation in this age group. However success using this drug is limited to approximately 75% in those aged 5 years and above, and possibly lower in this age group when associated with a diagnosis of ASD. The medication is often poorly tolerated by the oral route, and involves patient agitation, spiting (with incomplete drug ingestion), and immediate vomiting upon administration. Recently we have introduced Intra-nasal Dexmedetomidine (IN DEX), with an initial impression of much improved drug acceptance and possibly improved efficacy over TFS. We designed this pilot study, with the aim of comparing efficacy, tolerance of drug administration and adverse events between TFS and IN DEX, with the goal of generating initial results as well as feasibility of recruitment for a larger trial.