Active clinical trials for "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

This project will address impaired emotion regulation in adolescents with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). There are no evidence-based interventions to improve emotion regulation (ER) in this population, yet poor emotion regulation often leads to maladaptive behavior and substantially impedes capacity to learn and function across all life settings, and reduce their quality of life and that of their families. The primary objective of this study is to formally evaluate efficacy of EASE via a sufficiently powered, two-site randomized-controlled trial (RCT).

The unemployment rate is quite high among adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Inadequate transition planning during high school and gaps between vocational needs and availability of evidence-based services help explain the struggles of transition-age youth at obtaining employment. There is a paucity of research on developing and evaluating services to support the transition to the work force after graduating from high school. The lack of available resources to support transition-age youth with an ASD speaks to the need to develop interventions that ameliorate obstacles to employment and help support the transition to the work force. Due to the social deficits characterizing ASD innovative interventions could target preparing job interview skills for students facing the transition to employment as the job interview is a critical gateway to securing a job offer. Thus, the overarching goal of this study is to modify an existing virtual reality job interview skills training program for use in high school students with ASD and to test the feasibility and effectiveness of conducting this intervention in a high school setting via a small controlled trial. Thus, study's first aim is to modify the existing 'Virtual Reality Job Interview Training' program to meet the specific needs of high school seniors with ASD. This will accomplish this by conducting in depth interviews with high school students with ASD and their vocational counselors to solicit feedback to modify the current training's learning goals, content, usability, and simulated interview scripts to meet the specific needs of transition age youth. An expert panel will determine the final modifications to the training program based on the results of the qualitative data analysis and their own views of the program. Second aim of the study is to conduct a pilot trial to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, portability, fidelity and preliminary effectiveness of the modified intervention in a randomized controlled trial. This study will also explore potential mechanisms for effectiveness and collect pilot implementation data.

We will evaluate whether a resilience training program which includes group and individual parent training will be effective in improving optimism and resiliency in parents of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). By observing the level of parent optimism and resiliency before and after intervention, we will be able to determine whether the intervention is effective in improving parent resilience.

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often participate in equine-assisted interventions, where practitioners partner with horses to improve the health and well-being of the clients they serve. One of these interventions is equine-assisted occupational therapy (EAOT). The first aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of EAOT at improving the social, behavioral, and occupational functioning of children with ASD. Second, this study aims to conceptually develop the theory of change that guides how horses are integrated into occupational therapy for children with ASD. Eight children with ASD will participate in 10 weeks of EAOT. The quantitative strand will involve caregivers filling out measures of social functioning, self-regulation, and occupational performance on a weekly basis. Investigators hypothesize children will demonstrate improved performance on these measures during the intervention in comparison to baseline. The qualitative strand will consist of interviews with the providing occupational therapists aimed at understanding the theory behind why the intervention is effective. The results of this study will have implications for children with ASD, their families, and occupational therapists providing services to individuals with ASD.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of a 6-months supplementation with probiotic Vivomixx® on inflammatory and gastrointestinal (GI) biomarkers, gastrointestinal disturbances, behavioral and developmental profiles, and neurophysiological features in preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with or without GI symptoms.

Auditory hyper-reactivity affects up to 66% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and has been linked to greater stress and anxiety for children and their families. Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP) is highly effective for reducing obsessive/compulsive behaviors in children with both OCD and ASD. This study is the first to assess the feasibility and efficacy of E/RP for auditory sensory hyper-reactivity in ASD.

The purpose of this project is to test the effectiveness of a novel school-based intervention targeting executive function skills, including flexibility and planning, in college-track, transition-age youth with ASD. Evaluating treatment change through behavior and brain activity provides important information on how the treatment works and who will best benefit from it.

This trial will test the efficacy of robot-enhanced interventions for developing social skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The study will compare, in an equivalence design, an innovative intervention delivered by a semi-autonomous robotic agent with standard behavioral intervention. The target group is children between 3 and 6 years old which will be randomly allocated to one of the two treatments. Each treatment will be delivered over 8 bi-weekly sessions of 45 minutes each.

Eighty parent-child dyads will be recruited and randomly assigned to either the experimental intervention or an active control condition. Subjects assigned to the experimental group will participate in 12 home-based intervention sessions.

Thirty eight autistic spectrum disorder children age 2-6 years recruited into the study. The new treatment intervention is based on the DIR Model. Parents will be coached at the start and then every 3-4 months for 1 year. Outcome will be measured at the first session and at the end of the study using Functional Emotional Assessment Scale and Childhood Autism Rating Scales, Functional Emotional Level, and parent satisfaction rating. Hypothesis of the study: Children who get additional treatment of DIR/floortime show much improvement in climbing the developmental "ladder" and declining in the autistic behaviors.