Active clinical trials for "Child Development Disorders, Pervasive"

The purpose of this study is to examine changes in adaptive functioning, quality of life, and prospective memory among adults with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) who complete Strengthening Skills, a multi-faceted, behavioral intervention that combines the PEERS Social Skills program with cognitive compensation training, mindfulness-based emotional regulation, and support group components. Participants and their study partners (e.g., spouse, parent, friend) will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: Strengthening Skills, PEERS only, or a delayed treatment control group. The Strengthening Skills group will meet weekly for 3 hours for 16 weeks and will learn strategies for gaining and maintaining independence and emotion regulation. Participants will also learn strategies from the PEERS Social Skills Program. The PEERS only group will meet weekly for 1.5 hours for 16 weeks and will only learn strategies from the PEERS Social Skills Program. The delayed treatment control group will participant in data collection at four time points over a 10-month wait period, after which, they will be enrolled into the Strengthening Skills Program. Behavioral self-report data will be collected and a prospective memory assessment will be conducted before and after participation in the 16-week programs. Behavioral self-report data will also be collected at remote 3- and 6-month follow-up visits.

In addition to the core symptoms, children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit disruptive behavior problems including irritability, tantrums, noncompliance, and aggression. This is a pilot study of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, also known as Anger Control Training, in adolescents with high-functioning ASD. CBT teaches children to recognize antecedents and consequences of problem behavior and to use emotion regulation and problem-solving skills to reduce irritability, aggression and noncompliance. This form of CBT has been well-studied in typically developing children with disruptive behavior and we are investigating if this treatment can be feasible and helpful, with appropriate modifications, for irritability and disruptive behavior in ASD.

The aim of the study is to investigate the validity, reliability and clinical features of a Danish version of the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised (RAADS-R). A self-reporting scale devise used as a supplementary questionnaire in diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults. Furthermore the validity of novel screening questionnaire: SchiZotypal Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ), will be investigated. ZAQ is developed to discriminate Schizotypal Disorder from ASD.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (360° video) compared to a social story for reducing pre-visit dental anxiety for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) improve the dental visit experience for children, their families, and clinicians. The secondary objective is to perform a cost comparison analysis of the 360° video product as compared to a social story for Holland Bloorview's dental clinic.

The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge and insights with regard to physical activity behavior in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate Theta Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as an adjunct to standard therapy in improving core function deficits in children 5-15 year age with Autism Spectrum disorder. The main question it aims to answer is whether Theta burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation would improve core function deficit in children age 5 - 15 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder as an adjunct to standard therapy. Participants will receive patterned transcranial magnetic stimulation- theta burst stimulation for consecutive 7 days with standard therapy and the comparison group would receive standard therapy alone. Outcome in the form of change in obsessive, repetitive behavior would be measured at 1 month from end of therapy

In the treatment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), medication is only an adjunct, and the main treatment modalities are education and behavioral therapy. People with autism incur huge medical and educational costs, which puts a great financial burden on families.Taurine is one of the abundant amino acids in tissues and organs, and plays a variety of physiological and pharmacological functions in nervous, cardiovascular, renal, endocrine and immune systems. A large number of studies have shown that taurine can improve cognitive function impairment under various physiological or pathological conditions through a variety of mechanisms, taurine can increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria in the intestine, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, and have a positive effect on intestinal homeostasis. This study intends to analyze the effect of taurine supplementation on ASD, and explore the possible mechanism by detecting intestinal symptoms, intestinal flora, markers of oxidative stress and clinical symptoms of ASD.

The goal of this observer-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial is to determine the effectiveness of a fully-online, parent-mediated, video-based, self-directed intervention for young children with autism (12-60 months) who have been diagnosed with autism in the last six months. The main question[s] it aims to answer are: Does an online intervention for autistic children result in improved adaptive behaviour, compared to a psychoeducational control group? Does an online intervention for autistic children result in reduced autism symptoms in children, and decreased stress and increased self-efficacy in parents, compared to a psychoeducational control group? What are the predictors of response to intervention (i.e., child sex and age; initial autism symptoms and adaptive behavior; and parent self-efficacy, stress, and education). Parents will be given six compulsory and eight optional online modules that will teach them skills to use while interacting with their autistic children to improve social and communication behaviours and minimize behaviours that interfere with learning. The comparison group will receive six compulsory and eight optional online modules that will teach them about autism more broadly including diagnostic criteria, symptom profiles across development, etc.

This Phase 2 study examines the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of pimavanserin in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Male or female participants aged 16 to 40 years of age will be randomized to receive single doses of either placebo or pimavanserin in this randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over designed study, followed by open label extension.

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized as a neurodevelopmental disorder, with motor symptoms that may predispose to falls and gait changes. Exercises through virtual reality (exergaming) showed good results in children with ASD, but no studies were found that evaluated the effects of exergaming on gait and the risk of falls. Objective: To evaluate the effects of exergaming on motor performance during gait and the risk of falls in children with ASD. Method: Pilot study of a clinical trial. There will be 22 participants, diagnosed with ASD, level I or II; age: 5 to 9 years old; that they do not use medications that interfere with postural balance and falls; without physiotherapy care for at least 2 months. They will be divided into Exergaming Group (EG, n=11) and Control Group (GC, n=11). The GC will receive guidance through booklets. The EG will be submitted to a treatment with exergaming for 3 months, with 2 weekly sessions of 45 min each (initial 10 min, 25-30 of exergaming with the Xbox360 console with Kinect sensor and game "Kinect Adventures!", 5 min of cool down ). They will be assessed using CARS-BR (Childhood Autism Rating Scale - Brazilian version), DCDQ (Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire), EEP (Pediatric Equilibrium Scale), a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the history of falls and prevalence of falls, an adapted motivational scale for ASD, a satisfaction survey, and three-dimensional assessment of gait through the Gait Laboratory. Descriptive analysis will be performed and continuous variables will be summarized in mean and standard deviation, and categorical variables in absolute and relative frequencies. To compare the independent and paired variables, parametric tests will be used and a significance level of 5% will be considered (p <0.05). Pearson's correlation will be used to assess correlations between continuous variables and the Chi square test to assess the relationship between categorical variables. Expected results: It is expected that children from the EG will obtain better results than the CG on gait variables and the risk of falling, with clinical and statistical significance.