Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Trials

The purpose of this open label trial is to examine the preliminary feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a 12-week behavioral intervention program (1 hour/week) to treat insistence on sameness (e.g., difficulty tolerating changes in routine) in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Treatment will be delivered via secure telemedicine platform and consist of a combination of parent-training and parent-mediated intervention with the child. Read Less

Anxiety is very common in autistic youth. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the recommended treatment for both autistic and typically-developing (TD) youth with anxiety, yet most families cannot access CBT due to cost, practicalities of attending in-person treatment sessions, and a shortage of trained providers, especially in rural areas. The goal of this project is to increase access to care for families of autistic adolescents with anxiety through an internet-based treatment model. Read Less

Purpose: Conduct a wait-list randomized controlled trial (RCT) of an inclusive physical activity program called PACE for adults with intellectual disability (ID) who are not yet showing signs of Alzheimer's Disease (AD)/age-related dementias (ARD). Participants: Participants include 120 adults with ID, their caregivers, and their coaches (up to 360 individual participants, grouped as triads), recruited through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Arkansas. Participants also include 16 exercise professionals. Procedures (methods): Each cohort will include 20 triads who are randomly assigned to the PACE program or the waitlist control group. Read Less

Rates of suicide have increased significantly over the past two decades, particularly among youth. Compared to the general population, autistic people are significantly more likely to think about suicide, attempt suicide, and die by suicide. Autistic individuals have identified suicide prevention as a top research priority; however, little is known about how to best help autistic youth at risk for suicide. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of two suicide prevention strategies tailored for autistic individuals: the Safety Planning Intervention tailored for Autistic individuals (SPI-A) and SPI-A plus structured follow-up contacts (SPI-A+). Read Less

The purpose of this study is to examine whether cerebellar stimulation can be used to improve cognitive deficits and mood in patients with schizophrenia, autism, bipolar disorder, Parkinson's disease, and major depression. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess whether telehealth-based Family Navigation (FN) expedites enrollment (e.g., reduces time in days) in community-based autism intervention for Black toddlers under the age of 4 after their initial diagnosis of autism. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does Family Navigation decrease the time to initiation of intervention for Black toddlers with autism? * Does Family Navigation improve developmental outcomes at 18 months post-diagnosis of autism? * Does Family Navigation improve caregiver well-being? Caregivers in the Family Navigation condition will receive 4 research-based individual sessions with a trained navigator to support them in identifying and enrolling in recommended autism early intervention services. All navigation sessions will be delivered virtually via phone/Zoom. Researchers will compare participants who receive family navigation to participants who receive the standard of care (educational materials) to see if family navigation outperforms the standard of care. Read Less

Despite the significant morbidity and mortality associated with catatonia in autism, no diagnostic research has attempted to identify biomarkers for catatonia. This application will use a participant's own individual brain magnetic resonance image to target the primary motor strip with transcranial magnetic stimulation; to determine if hyper-excitability of the brain directly correlates with symptoms of catatonia and social-emotional impairment in autism. Completion of this project would result in the first study to associate hyper-excitability of the brain with catatonia and core features of autism; findings which are likely to have a significant impact on the health and well-being of autistic individuals. Read Less

The proposed study aims to understand poor sleep as a possible cause to CAPD in children and adolescents with ASD (ASD+) compared to ASD youth without CAPD (ASD-), using both caregiver-report and objective clinician administered measures. Additionally, the study will aim to understand the complex relationship between CAPD, sleep, and other associated phenotypic features of ASD such as executive and psychiatric functioning. Read Less

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to compare and learn about Virtual Reality (VR) in children with autism/Autistic children. The main question it aims to answer is: • Does the Floreo VR clinical product show clinical improvement in autism symptoms? Participants will engage the VR product for twice a week for twelve weeks. They will be randomized to either the Floreo Clinical Product or a VR Control group experience. Researchers will compare the two groups to see if there is an effect on learning specific skills and behaviors. Read Less

The study involves up to 5 visits for a fasting blood draw, behavioral assessments, and/or questionnaires. Other samples may be collected when appropriate. This study is currently recruiting. There is no cost for visits or study-related exams. Read Less

The investigators have previously shown that the administration of low-level infrared light is a safe and non-invasive procedure which improves cognition and emotion, as well as enhances brain metabolic activity. Based on previous studies, the investigators hypothesize that this methodology, called low-level light therapy or photobiomodulation, could be used to improve behavioral symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to investigate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on some of the challenges faced by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Read Less