Active clinical trials for "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous set of severe developmental abnormalities of the nervous system characterized by deficits affecting social interactions and verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as the presence of restricted interests, repetitive behaviors, and atypical sensory manifestations . ASD affects approximately 1% of the general population (Elsabbagh et al., 2012). Studies of siblings of individuals with ASD show that ASD is present in 7-20% of the offspring in families where a child has had a diagnosis of ASD and this prevalence increases if there are two diagnosed children. Several studies show the benefits of interventions targeting parents' interaction strategies in the early phases of development of infants at high risk for ASDs, in reducing the risk itself or its severity. Very early intervention, due to the presence of significant brain plasticity at these stages, may be particularly effective in changing these emerging trajectories, from a "preventive intervention" perspective that would aim to mitigate developmental risk and alter prodromal symptom trajectories, rather than eliminate a condition. Our hypothesis is that the implementation of a specific therapeutic education program during a new pregnancy in the mother of a child with a diagnosis of ASD (MER Program) could improve the mother's well-being, increase parenting communication skills, and thereby improve interaction with the newborn at high risk for ASD. If the infant is affected, it may also reduce the symptoms of the disorder. Indirectly, it could also improve the well-being of the other parent involved in the interaction.

The study aims to examine effectiveness of the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) on sensory, digestive, and eating behaviors in children currently receiving therapy.

Researchers at Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute are conducting a study about mitochondrial function in children. The study involves up to 5 visits to Arkansas Children's Hospital with fasting blood draws, behavioral assessments, and/or questionnaires. This study is not currently recruiting, but continues to follow those who were enrolled. There is no cost for visits or study-related exams. For further information, please contact the program manager, Leanna Delhey, at ldelhey@uams.edu or 501-364-4519

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by core deficits in social behavior and communication and the presence of repetitive/stereotyped behaviors. The objective of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of Esomeprazole as a treatment for social communication deficits in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This prospective 12 week open-label study will invite 25 children with ASD between the ages of 2 and 6 years of age to participate.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are highly disabling, persistent neurodevelopmental disorders. There are no available treatments for core symptoms of ASD or biologically-based clinical biomarkers. Emerging evidence indicates that levels of brain inflammation are increased in ASD. In particular, recent work implicates hyperactivity of microglial cells, the resident immune cells of the brain. However, the functional consequences of microglial activation remain unknown. This study will measure microglial activation in ASD using positron emission tomography (PET) brain imaging. Adult males with ASD (n=15) and healthy controls (n=15) will be recruited for this study and undergo comprehensive clinical and behavioral baseline assessment. All subjects will then undergo baseline PET imaging using a radiotracer that labels activated microglia. Subjects with ASD will then undergo 12-week open label treatment with minocycline, an FDA-approved antibiotic thought to block microglial activation. PET imaging will be repeated at 12 weeks to confirm target engagement. A subset of control subjects will also undergo repeat PET imaging to determine test-retest reliability. During minocycline treatment, ASD subjects will be evaluated every 2 weeks for safety, clinical impression, behavioral functioning, and measures of cognition. Results will provide important information regarding the relationship between levels of brain inflammation, cognitive and behavioral function in ASD.

This pilot study aims to identify behavioral and neural measures of sensory processing and attention associated with routine occupational therapy intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders. Specifically, the investigator will examine the impact of a child's level of engagement during therapy using standardized behavioral and electroencephalography (EEG) measures of sensory processing.

The purpose of this research use only (RUO) study is to detect genomic structural variants (SVs) in human DNA by Optical Genome Mapping (OGM) using the Bionano Genomics Saphyr system. SVs are a type of genetic alternation that includes deletions, duplications, and both balanced and unbalanced rearrangements (ex: inversions or translocations), as well as specific repeat expansions and contractions. The results of OGM analysis will be compared to prior clinical genetic test results to determine how OGM compares to current standard of care (SOC) clinical test methods such as chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), karyotyping, Southern blot analysis, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and/or next generation sequencing (NGS), etc.

Developmental function and Participation in life and school activities in patients with autism spectrum disorder: A follow-up study

The investigators conduct the real world study to explore mechanisms of autism based on multi-modal data.

This study aims to investigate the ability of reading emotions by the Eyes task in adults with ASD, and examine the gazing pattern and frontal activation during the task. We plan to recruit 50 adults with ASD and 50 typically-developing adults. Eye-tracking and frontal activation (measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy) will be examined during the Eyes task.