Active clinical trials for "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

The overall goal of this project is to determine whether a new form of family-based treatment for repetitive and inflexible behaviors, delivered using videoconferencing technology, can counter any negative effects of those behaviors, but also improve positive outcomes for young children with ASD.

The current clinical trial is focused on evaluating the efficacy of rTMS for treatment of depression in youth and young adults (hereafter called transition aged youth, TAY) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The motivation to undertake the current efficacy study is driven by: (1) the substantial impact of depression on TAY with ASD (based on prevalence and contribution to disability/impairment); (2) lack of evidence-based treatments for depression in autism (there are no current trials rigorously evaluating any treatment for depression, i.e., psychotherapeutic, pharmacotherapeutic, brain stimulation); (3) rTMS has demonstrated efficacy in non-autistic individuals to improve symptoms of depression and may be better tolerated in youth than medication treatment; (4) a prior pilot rTMS study focused on treatment of executive function deficits in autism indicated that high frequency rTMS delivered using a rigorous randomized control trial (RCT) protocol can be feasibly implemented in TAY with autism, is well tolerated (mild to moderate adverse effects and low drop out), and has the potential to improve symptoms of depression.

The AIRB research team will compare the use and effectiveness of each intervention (Mind the Gap, Remaking Recess and Self Determination Learning Model of Instruction) with and without the addition of our implementation strategy, UNITED. In all groups, the research team will train community practitioners using remote delivery of professional development modules specific to the intervention, and active coaching for up to 12 sessions as dictated by the intervention procedures. The research team will pair UNITED with three interventions that cover the ages of early childhood, childhood, and adolescence. These include Mind the Gap (MTG), a family navigation intervention for children newly diagnosed under age 8, Remaking Recess (RR), a school-based social/peer engagement intervention for children ages 5-12, and Self-Determination Learning Model of Instruction (SDMLI), a self- advocacy intervention for adolescents (13-22 years; 22 is the upper age limit of high school for individuals with disabilities). For Remaking Recess, school personnel will be working with children with ASD using the Remaking Recess Intervention (play-based intervention done during recess). School personnel will be trained to implement the intervention. The total time commitment for the school personnel is about 30 hours. The total time commitment for the parents with ASD who will sign consents and fill out a demographic survey is about 15 minutes. The total time commitment for children with ASD or other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) is about 5 hours during their regularly scheduled recess period throughout the school year.

This is a randomized interventional study designed to evaluate the effects of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) on neural and behavioral facets of social cognition in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The purpose of the proposed non-randomized waitlist-controlled design study is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of using a Videoconferencing-based Individual Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT) approach to enhance the mental well-being of parents of children with special healthcare needs (SHCN) over a three-month period after the intervention has taken place.

The aim of this clinical trial is to compare the efficacy of a 16-week center-based Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT-C) versus home-based Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT-H) in targeting social communication deficits in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with significant language delay. The two groups will also be compared to a control group that consists of children who are receiving treatment as usual (TAU).

The aim of this work is to study the adjuvant effect of vitamin D supplementation on inflammatory marker (IL4) and habilitation outcome in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to evaluate its efficiency as a treatment option based on correction of immune dysfunction.

In this research study the investigators aim to learn more about the therapeutic effects of a newer form of non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), called theta burst simulation (TBS), on refractory depression in Autism Spectrum Conditions.

The goal of this study is to target the neurobiology of restricted and repetitive behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder using N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a well-tolerated nutritional supplement that has shown promise for reducing symptom severity in recent small-scale trials. The findings from this research will shed light on the mechanisms of action underlying the clinical benefits of NAC and the effects of NAC on altering restricted and repetitive behavior symptom severity in children with autism spectrum disorder. This is a 12-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of NAC.

The goal of this randomized control trial is to test the efficacy of the Social ABCs 6 week, group-based model using a virtual delivery platform. The Social ABCs is a caregiver-mediated early intervention program, aiming to increase child skills in directed, intentional vocalizations, and shared smiling with a primary caregiver for toddlers identified as early signs or a confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or having related social communication challenges. A positive RCT was previously completed using the program's in-person individual, 12-week model, and a pilot study showing preliminary promise of the virtual group-based model has also been published. This adaptation to a virtual, group-based model maintains the core components of the intervention, but allows caregivers to meet and discuss the content as a group from their home environments and complete the program in a shorter timeframe. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is the Social ABCs virtual group-based model an effective early intervention program for toddlers aged 12-42 months with probable or confirmed ASD, or experiencing social communication challenges, when compared to an active control condition? Can primary caregivers of these toddlers achieve implementation fidelity in the Social ABCs intervention strategies using the 6-week virtual delivery model? Participants will be randomized into the treatment condition (A) where they will receive the Social ABCs virtual group-based intervention or, into a Control condition (B), where they meet virtually with other caregivers in the control groups over the course of 6 weeks, viewing and discussing 3 didactic presentations around general child development content (not autism- or Social ABCs-specific). Video and questionnaire data will be collected before (Time 0) and after (Time 1) the 6 week period. After an additional 6-8 weeks, the same data will be collected from both groups as a follow-up time point (Time 2). Researchers will compare the Treatment group and the Control group to measure change in the target behaviours for the child, the caregiver's use of strategies, as well as caregiver stress and self-efficacy, across time-points.