Active clinical trials for "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

The proposed three-year pilot randomized trial aims to test the effectiveness of the newly-redesigned paraeducator-delivered RUBI for use in Educational Settings (RUBIES) intervention compared to usual care training in reducing disruptive behavior in 80 elementary-school children with ASD. Given the critical need to understand not just whether, but also how interventions work, this study also will examine paraeducator- and child-level mechanistic pathways of the RUBIES intervention.

This is an aquatic occupational therapy group for children between the ages of 3-12 that have an autism diagnosis. Intervention will focus on increasing the child's safety swim skills.

Given the increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), estimated to be 1 in 68 in the United States alone, ASD has become one of the fastest-growing pediatric concerns. The deficits of children with ASD range across social communication and academic skills. One of the effective interventions that have been used commonly for ASD is the model-lead-test, which includes modeling, prompting children to practice target skills together, and providing children with affirmative feedback or error correction. Previous research has demonstrated that the model-lead-test is successful in teaching different skills for individuals with ASD, including functional, social, and academic skills. The vast majority of the studies had researchers, therapists, or teachers implement the intervention. However, there is clear empirical support and implications for interventions mediated by more familiar persons, such as parents and siblings, which may lead to better effects, maintenance, and generalization due to more practice opportunities in the natural environments. Research has supported the effectiveness of using parents or peers as agents to deliver interventions for individuals with ASD, whereas fewer studies explored the use of siblings to deliver or mediate intervention. As typically developing siblings are an essential part of the daily life of children with ASD, it makes logical extensions to have siblings as mediators to deliver interventions. In the initial findings, the investigators found the typically developing siblings can accurately implement the model-lead-test procedure that improved various skills of their siblings with ASD. This project will extend these findings by examining the efficacy of the sibling-implemented intervention on early literacy (reading) and social reciprocity (conversation and play) of children with ASD as well as the sibling relationship before, during, and after the intervention.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993) effectively diminishes emotion dysregulation and self-harm behaviors in a number of disorders. However, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the efficacy of DBT to treat emotional dysregulation associated with self-harm and suicidal behaviors in adults with ASD without intellectual disability. This randomized controlled study trial aims to assess the efficacy of a 5-month DBT intervention in adults with ASD without intellectual disability who present with self-harm and/or suicidal behaviors.

There is currently no treatment for the body symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, basic research suggests that some forms of ASD may be alleviated, even in the adult stage. The genes involved in ASDs particularly impact synaptic homeostasis. Specific clinical trials in patients with synaptic mutations need to be carried out. In this spirit, patients with deleterious mutations in SHANK3 represent a paradigm. The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) carrying SHANK3 mutations and derived in neurons, can be used for high-throughput screening of pharmacological substances and allow the identification of compounds that can restore the expression level of SHANK3. The objective of this proposed project is to test one of the compounds identified by research on these iPSc as a novel treatment for social communication deficit in patients with deleterious mutations in SHANK3. Its effect on the symptoms of the social deficit could represent a new perspective for other forms of idiopathic autism.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of cariprazine in the treatment of pediatric participants with schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to establish the benefit-risk profile of long-term treatment in this population.

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 an 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 during a time span of 6 months. 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 MTG, peer navigators (staff working in an organization that already works with parents) and parents (with children with ASD) will meet via phone or video conference for up to 12 sessions within a 6 month span (an hour each time). They will go over sessions that were created by the research group that help parents understand the system of acquiring services. The total time commitment for peer navigators is about 18 hours and for parents with children with ASD is about 8.5 hours. Identified families connected to the community organization will be matched with one peer navigator who will then guide and support the caregiver through completion of the MTG modules with active coaching of the family. Family needs and preferences will guide topic selection. Active coaching will occur via zoom, or over the phone, based on family preference and some recorded sessions will be shared with the research group for analyses. Mind the Gap will be available in English, Spanish, and Korean.

This project is focused on evaluating outcomes related to this statewide clinical training effort in the RUBI parent training program. Up to 400 providers in Maine are enrolling in a "Level 1" 16-hour RUBI introductory training through one of three modalities (1) self-paced "On Demand" webinars, (2) 16 weekly one-hour meetings ("ECHO group"); or (3) "2-day live virtual trainings." Up to 140 providers who complete Level 1 are then being offered the option to advance to "Level 2" RUBI Certification Training. These varying clinical training options create the opportunity to study three groups of RUBI Training participants who received varying intensities/doses of training: (1) those who completed only the 16-hr psychoeducational training either live or On Demand, (2) those who complete only the 16-hr training via the hybrid consultation/training ECHO model, and (3) those who complete intensive fidelity consultation training in addition to the 16-hr introductory training. In order to examine the impact of training dosage and modality on outcomes of this RUBI clinical training effort, we are conducting two related studies: The purpose of Study 1 is to learn about the crucial elements of RUBI intervention training in relation to promoting community provider implementation success. This will be measured by providers' self-reported data related to: 1) satisfaction with the RUBI training, 2) knowledge gained about behavioral principles through the training, 3) improvements in self-efficacy in supporting autistic youth with challenging behaviors and their caregivers, and 4) satisfaction with the RUBI intervention, including strategies used in practice with caregivers of youth with ASD/IDD. In other words, what is a "good enough" dose of RUBI training to promote provider satisfaction with the training, intervention, and use of RUBI strategies? The purpose of Study 2 is to provide an examination of RUBI intervention implementation by examining outcomes related to: 1) provider self-reported and observed implementation fidelity of RUBI during sessions, 2) caregiver implementation of RUBI strategies with their child, 3) caregiver satisfaction with the RUBI intervention, and 4) the effects of caregiver implementation of RUBI on child challenging behavior.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are disabling and impairing conditions affecting 1% of children in Norway. ASD is hallmarked by severe social deficit and lack of independence causing reliance on supportive systems throughout life. Parents are usually the primary caretakers and support, often throughout life. Normal parenting skills are however often ineffective due to the social dysfunction of the child with ASD. This causes high stress as the demands exceed the resources and capability of the parent. The high stress is associated to increased risk for mental health problems, divorce, unemployment and reduced quality of life. High parent stress may also reduce the effect of interventions in ASD. However, although the need is great and parental follow-up is an integral part of health care for ASD children, there is a lack of evidence for such interventions. The current project aims to evaluate a specific parent program that is in clinical use - the Incredible Years for children with ASD - compared with a standardised treatment as usual (TAU) composed of clinical parent workshops ("first aid for parents"). The aim is to evaluate parenting interventions and promote evidence-based practice in a clinical setting. The investigators will perform a randomized controlled trial and qualitative interviews to compare the effectiveness of treatment as usual (TAU) versus a manualized parent program (IY-ASLD). The study aims to investigate if the parental program may reduce parent stress and improve parental competence and self-efficacy. Secondary goals are to investigate whether the parent program may improve quality of life for the parent and the child and have an impact on long-term child functioning and service use.

The purpose of this research study is to investigate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on some of the challenges faced by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).