19 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
The purpose of this study is to identify improvement in behavioral and social function and changes in the brain following Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) for Adolescents in highly verbal adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The current project involves the application of a VR job training software. We propose to use an interactive VR job interview practice system, Virtual Reality Job Interview Training (VR-JIT), in youths with ASD at the highschool level. This system was developed to bolster job interview practice skills and to help reduce anxiety in adults with ASD. However, it has never before been used in individuals under the age of 18. Our hope is that if this program is utilized in individuals while they are still in highschool, we can target those persons before the window for which risk of unemployment appears to be highest for ASD youths, immediately after high school graduation.
This study is an 8-week pilot trial with oxytocin nasal spray (Syntocinon) as a treatment for social impairment in children and adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The investigators hypothesize that oxytocin will be safe, tolerable, and effective in improving social deficits in individuals with ASD.
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.
This multi-center, randomized, double-blind study will evaluate exploratory biomarkers and the safety and tolerability of a single dose of RO5028442 in adult male high-functioning autistic patients. In a cross-over design, patients will be randomized to receive either a single dose of RO5028442 or matching placebo with a washout period of 7-14 days. Anticipated time on study is up to approximately 9 weeks.
Many children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience high levels of anxiety which can further inhibit their ability to master developmental tasks such as succeeding in school and developing and maintaining friendships. Despite the need for effective treatments for children with ASD and anxiety, there have been few studies that have addressed this issue. Recently, preliminary evidence has supported the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat anxiety disorders in children with ASD. This study will utilize a CBT treatment program called Coping Cat. Coping Cat has been found to be one of the most effective treatments for typically developing children with anxiety and has also been shown to be effective for treating anxiety in children with other disorders such as physical impairments, selective mutism, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The investigators goal is to demonstrate that Coping Cat is an effective treatment for children with ASD and anxiety. Finding effective treatments for children with ASD and anxiety could increase adaptive social relationships, decrease stress among families, and prevent the maintenance of anxiety into adulthood.
This study is a pre-test, post-test single group design with follow-up at month three. Twenty-four individuals total will participate in this study with 6 participants in each of 4 cohorts. Participants and their parents will complete pre-test measures including both paper and pencil measures and a video-recording to assess the participant's social interaction skills and fluency. These adolescents will participate in both group therapy and peer generalization sessions once a week over the course of twelve weeks. Upon completion of the intervention, participants and parents will complete paper and pencil and video post-test measures. Participants will be encouraged to participate in one follow-up session where the paper and pencil and video measures will be completed again.
Abstract: In Phase I, we designed and tested a Portable Visual Guidance System (PVGS), which combines a PDA - for user guidance - and an Internet website - for linking the user to an educational support team. Use of the PVGS 1) significantly improved the in vivo social pragmatics of students diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome/Higher Functioning Autism (AS/HFA); 2) revealed additional ways of improving social pragmatics; and 3) improved activity management in scheduling and vocational tasks. In Phase II, we will focus on social pragmatics and two closely related skills: feelings management and assignment management. We aim to: 1. Replicate Phase I success in the most educational setting for AS/HFA high school aged students: mainstream school inclusion classes. 2. Replicate Phase I findings more efficiently, with a less highly trained, on-site coaching staff and with more distant (non-site) expert supervision of that staff. 3. Contrast the outcomes of the curriculum with a diagnosis-matched wait-list control group. 4. Develop and implement software that will enable on-site staff to create and modify individualized guidance and monitoring screens as needs arise. 5. Design a commercially attractive package of software, video training, video-conferenced support, and manuals. 6. Complete the translation of the SymTrend website and all the above tools into Spanish. Significance: Successful completion of Phase II will: 1. Provide a very effective and comprehensive system for teaching social pragmatics and related management skills to AS/HFA persons in an inclusion context. 2. Provide a means of evaluating IEP effectiveness, thereby enabling a better use of special education funds and a reduction of litigation over IEP plan appropriateness and utility. 3. Provide substantial support for our theoretical rationale for curriculum building in Special Education - a rationale that can guide the formulation of IEPs. 4. Provide a theoretical rationale, an intervention framework, and intervention support technology that can be extended to cognitive behavioral treatment of other neuropsychiatric disorders and can be adapted for other forms of healthcare guidance. 5. Provide an investigative system, as well as an intervention system, for tracking behavioral change in studies of frontal lobe and limbic neuroplasticity in neuropsychiatric disorders.
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the use of autologous Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cells (BMSC) as a means to improve cognitive impairment as occurs in Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias and to improve behavior and socialization issues which occur in adult Autism Spectrum Disorder. The use of Near Infrared Light, in conjunction with the use of BMSC, will also be assessed.
This study is investigating the development of a social skills training program for adults with Asperger's Syndrome or high-functioning autism, ages 18 to 35 years. The Principal Investigator for this study is Dr. Michael Murray, the director of the Autism Studies Division at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. The purpose of this study is to adapt a social skills training program to address and enhance the social skills of adults with Asperger's Syndrome and high-functioning autism.
The objective of this study is to validate a social skills training program manual for adolescents (ages 13-17) with Asperger's Syndrome or high functioning autism. Approximately 150 adolescents with autism spectrum disorders will participate in this study, in groups consisting of 6 adolescents and 6 peer volunteers. Participants will participate in both group therapy and peer generalization sessions (in the form of a photography class) once a week over the course of twelve weeks. Participants and their parents will complete paper and pencil, online, or phone measures and video-recordings to assess the participant's social skills prior to the intervention, at completion of the intervention and three months later.
The Assistive Social Skills and Employment Training program (ASSET) is an occupationally-based, work-related social skills intervention, designed to address the pre-employment and mental health needs of young adults with high-functioning autism in school-to-work transition. Knowing that occupational therapy (OT) services designed to address the post-secondary transition needs of this population have been largely unexplored, and recognizing the need for OT students to gain practical experience facilitating psychosocial groups, this study seeks to: (1) evaluate program impacts on participants' psychosocial functioning and work readiness, and (2) pilot the use of OT students as group facilitators. The study will follow a mixed-methods, single group design, using questionnaires and interviews to assess skills, confidence, and psychological wellness before intervention, immediately after, and at follow-up. OT students will also be interviewed and complete pre- and post-intervention assessments of clinical self-efficacy and stress. This project supports the AOTF's objectives by: (1) building OT academic program capacity to partner with university services and the autism community to improve transition outcomes in an underserved group, (2) laying the groundwork for larger, more rigorous studies of ASSET's effectiveness, and (3) gathering pilot data to support future grant applications at the federal level.
This study seeks to correlate microbiome sequencing data with information provided by patients and their medical records regarding autism.
This study will test the effectiveness of a school-based cognitive behavioral executive function (EF) intervention, Unstuck \& On Target High School (UOT:HS), for transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). UOT:HS was designed to be embedded in high schools and delivered by school staff to improve generalization of skills, increase access to mental health care, and fill a gap in evidence-based approaches to support postsecondary transition. UOT:HS targets flexibility and planning skills and focuses on key functions needed for adult success across 25, 1-hour lessons. School staff will be trained to deliver UOT:HS, study staff will provide ongoing check-ins, and parents will be offered home extensions for each lesson and two trainings to generalize skills to the home environment. Behavioral and parent-report data will be collected prior to intervention, post-intervention, and at 4-to-6-month follow-up.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the TEACCH School Transition to Employment and Post-Secondary Education (T-STEP) Program. Through randomized assignment young adults (18-21 year-old) with ASD will participate in the full T-STEP Program or a counseling only condition. Effectiveness will be assessed by caregiver report (social communication, executive function, employment readiness), self-report (self-determination, coping, depression), and behavioral observation (i.e., a mock employment experience). The long-term impact of this intervention is to promote a more positive quality of life for young adults with high functioning ASD including increased postsecondary education completion, employment, self-determination, and decreased difficulties with coping and depression.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether methylphenidate hydrochloride extended release liquid formulation is safe and effective in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorders (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.
By utilizing community-based participatory research methods, this research was conducted in collaboration with the community through our partnership of researchers, educators, providers and consumers (Active Collaborative Hub for Individuals with ASD to Enhance Vocation and Education- ACHIEVE) to adapt a vocational soft skills program, Supported, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement \& Social Skills (SUCCESS), for Transition Age Youth (TAY). The first step (years 1-2) involved adapting the intervention for autistic TAY by including feedback from multiple stakeholders and developing a curriculum to be implemented in both High Schools and Transition programs for the specific needs of autistic TAY and alpha piloting it. It involved understanding further the educational context for TAY students and current services available to prepare students for secondary outcomes of employment and/or college through a county wide survey. Step 2 (years 2-3) included pilot testing the feasibility, acceptability, implementation procedures and initial youth outcomes of the TAY SUCCESS intervention and further refining the curriculum and protocols. Findings demonstrated improvements in executive functioning and social functioning targets as well as distal outcomes of self-efficacy, mental health, educational and work behaviors and attitudes. The study results were disseminated through the ACHIEVE group as well as at conferences, website and publication.
The objective of this study is to utilize high-frequency brain signals (HFBS) to localize functional brain areas and characterize HFBS in epilepsy, migraine, and other brain disorders. Our goal is to create the world's first high-frequency MEG/EEG/ECoG/SEEG database for the developing brain. HFBS include high-gamma activation/oscillations, high-frequency oscillations (HFOs), ripples, fast ripples, spikelets, fast spikelets, and very high-frequency oscillations (VHFOs). While terminologies and frequency bands may vary among reports, both HFOs and high-gamma waves are crucial for understanding brain function and developing potential treatments for neurological disorders. We have been developing an intelligent software platform to analyze signals from low to very high-frequency ranges across multiple frequency bands. To achieve these goals, we have developed several innovative techniques and software packages: * Accumulated spectrogram * Accumulated source imaging * Frequency-encoded source imaging * Multi-frequency analysis at source levels * Artificial intelligence detection of HFOs * Neural network analysis (Graph Theory) * Other techniques (e.g., Independent Component Analysis, virtual sensors) These methods enable researchers to better understand the characteristics and significance of HFOs and high-gamma brain waves, contributing to advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.