Active clinical trials for "Autistic Disorder"

The primary aims are to identify important gut microbiota signatures for youth with ASD, to identify dysbiosis features for different levels of ASD features and clinical courses, to search the possibility to intervene the disease course if we can tease out the dysbiosis responsible for the flare-up and improvement of the symptoms of the disease. The secondary aims are to identify the clinical and neuropsychological measures that are associated with direct and indirect regulation or interactions from gut-brain axis signaling, and based our preliminary results on reducing the measures for future large-scale microbiome study in ASD.

To date, it is well documented that the gut microbiota (GM) influences numerous physiological processes in the healthy "host". The alteration of the composition and function of the intestinal microbiota, commonly referred to as "dysbiosis", is associated with many pathological conditions. The high co-morbidity between inflammatory bowel diseases and psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and stress and the frequent presence of gastrointestinal dysfunctions in autistic patients have highlighted a possible implication of GM in psychiatric disorders. The ability of GM to communicate with the central nervous system and the possible influence on behavior led to the discovery of the existence of a microbiota-gut-brain axis. Clinical and experimental data suggest a possible role of modifications in the composition and function of the intestinal microbiota (impaired production of short-chain fatty acids, SCFAs) in major psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). ASD is a severe neurological condition characterized by severe stereotypical behaviors and deficits in linguistic and social interaction. The prevalence of ASD in children is continuously increasing in Western countries. The pathogenesis of ASD is still poorly defined. The clinical manifestations of ASD are the result of complex interactions between genetic, epigenetic, environmental and microbiological factors. The improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms of autistic patients after short-term oral treatment with antibiotics and probiotics clearly indicated a role of the metabolites of MI in ASD. In particular, an alteration in the phyla of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in fecal samples from autistic children has been described with conflicting results. Williams and colleagues (2011) evaluated a significant increase in the Firmicutes / Bacteroidetes ratio in intestinal biopsies of autistic children with gastrointestinal disorders. It has also been shown in animal models of ASD that dysbiosis is positively associated with an increase in butyrate levels and inversely associated with the "score" of the severity of ASD symptoms. Alterations in nutritional status, eating habits and adverse reactions to food appear to be more frequent in children with ASD. Several studies support the hypothesis that children with ASD have a greater refusal of food, requiring specific food presentations or eating a reduced variety of foods compared to children without ASD. These conditions are associated with dysbiosis. Preliminary data suggest that particular elimination diets and / or modifications of the intestinal microbiota can determine a positive effect on the symptoms of ASD. A better knowledge of the composition and functions of the intestinal microbiota also in relation to eating habits and the presence of adverse reactions to food in the child with ASD could facilitate new effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of these conditions.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong, neurodevelopmental disorder effecting one in fifty-nine children. Each individual with ASD is unique. Children with ASD may have trouble making friends, keeping friends, communicating their needs, engaging in leisure activities, learning to read and do math, and many other challenges. The children may engage in repetitive behaviors such as hitting themselves or flapping their hands, and may be over sensitive to particular sounds or lights which can make certain places, such as a store, very uncomfortable. Also, children with ASD may have challenging behaviors such as hitting others and excessive tantrums that can seem uncontrollable. 25 to 40 hours a week of intensive applied behavior analysis is the evidence-based treatment for children with ASD. Many children with ASD in rural areas and certain states are unable to access evidence-based treatment because of insurance barriers and lack of providers. The Competent Learner Model uses strategies from applied behavior analysis to target core skills that increase successful participation in life activities. Its program is applicable across all ages and developmental levels, and it has an online course of study which has been used to train professionals and lay people alike including parents. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of training parents in applied behavior analysis using the Competent Learner Model with children with ASD who do not have access to treatment. The program consisted of a hybrid of group sessions for caregivers, coaching sessions for the caregiver-child dyads, and online units for caregivers. This project assessed participation in and satisfaction with the program as well as changes in parenting stress. Feedback from caregivers will be used to create a more satisfactory method of increasing accessing to families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in rural areas.

By comparing them to a healthy control group, this study aims to investigate the relationship between the participation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in home, school, and community environments and their parents' fatigue, depression, and quality of life, as well as the child's quality of life. There is no study that investigators are aware of that looks into the relationship between the fatigue and quality of life of parents of children with ASD and the quality of life and participation of children with ASD. This study hypothesizes that parents of children with ASD experience more fatigue and have a lower health-related quality of life than parents of healthy children.

This is a multicenter longitudinal study that aims to identify, develop and validate a set of measures that can be used as stratification biomarkers and/or sensitive and reliable objective measures of social impairment in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that could serve as markers of long term clinical outcome. The main study will include 275 individuals: 200 ASD subjects between 6-11 years old, and 75 TD subjects roughly matched by age and sex to the ASD group.

The overall goal of this research is to use neurophysiological measures to profile strengths and deficits for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder co-morbidity in Autism Spectrum Disorder to clarify diagnosis and to predict treatment response.

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by deficits in three functional domains: language and communication, social reciprocity, and the presence of restricted interests/repetitive behaviors. There's also deficits in social cognition. When having a face-to-face conversation, a listener not only hears what a speaker is saying, but also sees the articulatory gestures that accompany those sounds. Speech signals needs then a multisensory processing. Impairments in multisensory perceptual binding may be particularly relevant in ASD, given that hallmark features of the disorder include difficulties in speech, communication, and social interactions. Objectives: The investigator suggest that atypical multisensory processing in ASD may have an impact on speech perception and social processing. Aims: Methods: This pilot study measures free recall scores in 3 lists of words presentation after 30 minutes. In the first condition (CI) words are only listening. In the second condition (CII) words are associated with a picture of a mans face. In the third condition (CIII) words are associated with a video of a man speaking. Three lists are homogeneous form words characteristics (lexical frequency, emotional valence norm, imageability). Participants were 7- to 13-year-olds typically developing children (TD) (N = 19) and ASD children (N = 19). The investigator would create some new tools for exploring the treatment of a social information. These tools should be the closest of a ecological social interaction.

Understudied drugs will be administered to children per standard of care as prescribed by their treating caregiver and only biological sample collection during the time of drug administration will be involved. A total of approximately 7000 children aged <21 years who are receiving these drugs for standard of care will be enrolled and will be followed for up a maximum of 90 days. The goal of this study is to characterize the pharmacokinetics of understudied drugs for which specific dosing recommendations and safety data are lacking. The prescribing of drugs to children will not be part of this protocol. Taking advantage of procedures done as part of routine medical care (i.e. blood draws) this study will serve as a tool to better understand drug exposure in children receiving these drugs per standard of care. The data collected through this initiative will also provide valuable pharmacokinetic and dosing information of drugs in different pediatric age groups as well as special pediatric populations (i.e. obese).

Background: Research into the genetic causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves studies of the DNA of children with autism. New DNA sequencing technology allows researchers to study specific genes in search of genetic changes that may cause or contribute to ASD. Individuals who donated DNA to the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange may benefit from further study of their DNA samples with more advanced DNA sequencing technology. The role of cholesterol in individuals with ASD is currently under investigation. Research has suggested that abnormal cholesterol levels in children with autism may be related to genetic mutations or changes in how cholesterol is regulated in the body. Objectives: - To study existing blood samples of children with autism spectrum disorders to evaluate the relationship between genetic traits and cholesterol function. Eligibility: - Children with ASD who donated blood samples to the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange. Design: Parents/guardians of minor children with ASD will provide consent for further research to be performed on existing DNA samples in the Autism Genetic Research Exchange databank. Information from this research may be provided to the consenting parents/guardians on a case by case basis, as directed by the researchers.

The Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is recruiting parents of children with a pervasive developmental disorder (including autism, autistic spectrum disorder, PDD-NOS, Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett syndrome) to participate in a study to help determine potential causes of the increasing prevalence of these disorders. The study is being conducted using an anonymous on-line survey available to parents through a secure link. The study consists of approximately 90 questions about the affected child, siblings, parents, and grandparents, which will take roughly 10-15 minutes to complete. Several families will also be invited to participate in a phone interview. Both the survey and the phone interview are conducted using a self-designated code to protect anonymity and patient privacy. No identifying information such as name, date of birth, address, or phone number will be asked. Only questions regarding the year of birth of family members will be asked.