Confirmatory Efficacy Trial of Cognitive Enhancement Therapy for Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder...
Autistic DisorderAutism Spectrum Disorder2 moreThis study will investigate and confirm the efficacy of two psychological treatments for adults with autism spectrum disorder. Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET) is a cognitive remediation intervention that aims to help adults with problems in thinking, planning, and socialization. Enriched Supportive Therapy (EST) is an individual supportive therapy that aims to help adults learn about their condition, manage their emotions and stress, improve their social skills, and cope with everyday problems.
The Effect of Household Air Pollution on Lung Function Growth in Infants With Pneumonia in Sub-Saharan...
PneumoniaPollution; Exposure4 moreThis study will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a household-based clean air intervention
Propranolol for Challenging Behaviors in Autism
Autism Spectrum DisorderDevelopmental Disability3 moreSevere challenging behaviors such as aggression and self-injury can cause significant morbidity and decrease the quality of life for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). There are only two medications (Risperdal and Abilify) rigorously studied and FDA-approved for the treatment of irritability in individuals with ASD. These medications are not always successful and have many short and long-term side effects. Well-designed studies demonstrating efficacy and safety of alternative medication treatment choices are needed. There is preliminary evidence that high-dose propranolol can be effective in individuals with ASD who display severe aggression and have not responded to antipsychotics or mood stabilizers. Concerns regarding the safety of high dose propranolol have limited its clinical application. Well-designed clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy and safety of high dose propranolol will have significant effects on clinical practice and improve the physical and behavioral quality of life for an underserved subset of individuals with ASD. This study will pilot the safety and efficacy of high dose propranolol. The investigators will randomly assign participants to either propranolol or to placebo later crossing each participant over to the other group. As propranolol can cause changes in blood pressure and heart function, each participant will complete initial comprehensive testing to monitor cardiac safety throughout the study. The investigators will be utilizing telemedicine and computer based telemetry to minimize the burden of office visits on the individual and family.
Translational Research to Inform Interventions for Challenging Behavior
Behavior and Behavior MechanismsThis project is meant to identify relations between the reinforcement histories of 80 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and the prevalence of extinction bursts. Extinction bursts, or temporary increases in rates and intensities of behavior during extinction, often preclude the inclusion of extinction in intervention packages meant to suppress severe challenging behavior, despite the fact that extinction is often necessary to generate therapeutic outcomes. Study results will provide insight into how researchers can enhance interventions for the severe challenging behavior of individuals with IDD while mitigating the undesirable collateral effects (i.e., extinction bursts) of therapeutic action (i.e., extinction). Expanded access to study results will be made available to those who inquire after all data have been obtained and analyzed.
Neuropsychological and Brain Medical Imaging Study in Patients With Brain Damage 2
Cerebrovascular DisordersBrain Lesion2 moreTwo groups of subjects will be constitute: (i) patients with circumscribed brain injury (including stroke, vascular malformations, tumor or circumscribed infectious lesions) or degenerative/developmental disorders and selective cognitive disorders; (ii) healthy control subjects. The objective of this project is to evaluate specific neuropsychological deficits and apply current brain imaging techniques (anatomical, diffusion, functional, magnetic stimulation) to patients suffering from these cognitive deficits due to brain damage, in order to elucidate the brain mechanisms underlying these deficits.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Irritability in Adolescents With High Functioning Autism Spectrum...
AutismAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD2 moreIn 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.
BEhavioral Health Stratified Treatment (BEST) Study for Youth With Intellectual and/or Developmental...
DepressionAnxiety1 moreMany youth with disabilities and their families receive "care coordination services" from a state Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) agency. MCHB care coordination services help youth with disabilities get the medical care and social services they need to be healthy. Complex HEalth Care for Kids (CHECK) developed a program to combine mental health treatment and care coordination services for youth with disabilities. The goal of this study is to see whether a care coordination program that treats depression and anxiety (MCHB care coordination + CHECK) is better than a care coordination program (MCHB care coordination alone) that refers youth to mental health services in terms of making youth feel healthier, happier, and able to handle future challenges. The project team will test which care coordination approach is better at making youth with disabilities: (Aim 1) less anxious and depressed; (Aim 2) feel healthier, function better, and practice healthy habits; (Aim 3) improve their ability to manage their health. This study will also evaluate which approach makes (Aim 4) youth, caregivers, and providers feel more satisfied with their care coordination experience. This study will give youth with disabilities and their families information about what kinds of care coordination models are available, and better suited to their needs. The study team will reach out to 780 youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, age 13-20 years old, who receive care coordination services from the state of Illinois MCHB. If these youth are eligible and agree to be in the study, they will be placed, by chance, into either MCHB care coordination alone or into the MCHB care coordination + CHECK program. In both groups, youth will have a care coordinator who helps them identify and make plans to meet their needs and provides referrals to services/resources. Youth in the MCHB care coordination + CHECK care coordination will get mental health treatment directly from CHECK staff if they report symptoms of depression or anxiety. Treatment may include an online program or group meetings that teach youth how to cope with negative thoughts and feelings. Youth in each group will be followed for 24 months and will receive gift cards for participating. Youth will be asked questions about anxiety and depression, health, functioning, ability to manage their health care, self-efficacy, and their experience with care coordination.
Digital Epidemiology Study on Brain Functioning
Child DevelopmentChild Development DisorderNeurobiology has improved the integrative understanding of brain development. With digital technologies, digital (bio)markers would be relevant variables for a better understanding of the heterogeneity of cognitive and behavioral functioning in developing children. However, the dominant statistical approach of group comparison tends to ignore intragroup variability. Applying high-dimensional data sets through multivariate methods and then combining their scores via predictive model learning algorithms would allow the identification of subtypes. Thus, EPIDIA4KIDS wants to understand the brain functioning of children aged 7 to 12 years old from heterogeneous data sources collected from a touchscreen tablet.
Mental Health Crises in Youth With IDDs
Intellectual DisabilityThis study is an unmatched, case-control study of 150 youth (Ages 7-17) with a parent reported Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD) who present to Rady Children's Hospital Emergency Department with a Mental Health Crisis (MHC). Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine (RCIGM) will collect biological samples (such as blood) of these participants to study their genomes, medical and psychiatric profiles to better understand specific characteristics that may predispose them to MHC's. The 150 youth will be compared to historical, publicly available cohorts of youth with IDD's
SQUED™ Series 28.1 Home-use and Treatment of Autowave Reverberator of Autism
Autistic DisorderAutism Spectrum Disorder7 moreLocomotor, transport and information functions in human body systems are carried out by active media in autowave regimes! Any living organism is a (micro-macro-mega) hierarchy of autowave subsystems-an ensemble of loosely coupled subsystems of a simpler structure. From the highest levels of the hierarchy, Autowave Codes-Signals arrive, which determine the transitions of subsystems from one autowave regime to another Autowave interaction (of Complex Coherent Action). Autowave interaction is a process associated with the evolution and interaction of spatial and wave structures in the active media of the organism. Chaos in organism functioning tells about health. Periodicity - Autowave reverberator may presage a disease - Autism Spectrum Disorder; Chaotic nature of oscillations in active media of physiological systems is more optimal for their vital functions than periodic one. Firstly, systems that function in chaotic regimes, can re-arrange themselves faster and easier in case of change of environmental conditions, i.e. the so called adaptive control is more easily implemented in them. Secondly, "spreading" of oscillations strength along comparatively wide frequency band takes place in chaotic regime. When an organism is young and healthy, physiological systems show the elements of chaotic behavior, i.e. irregularity and chaotic dynamics are the extremely important characteristics of health. Decrease in changeability and appearance of stable periodicity of Autowave reverberator are often connected with Autism. The main purpose is to study brain plasticity (the changes that occur in the brain through Autowave reverberator) in children with autism. Research suggests that during development, the brains of children may change in response to their Autowave reverberator differently than the brains of typically developing individuals. Investigators want to understand why and how this difference may contribute to the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, the investigators will be examining the effects of non-invasive neuromodulation SQUED™ series 28.1 home-use for Treatment of Autowave reverberator of Autism. Integrative Team World Organization of Medical Synergetics (WOMS) - collaborations between physicians and researchers with expertise in biostatistics, physics, mathematics, engineering, and computer science.