Autism Clinical Trials in Seattle, WA

The increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (1 in 36 youth) in the United States along with the exorbitant cost of care of supporting one autistic individual with and without intellectual disability across their lifespan ($2.4 and $1.4 million, respectively) creates a sense of urgency to improve outcomes for autistic youth. Schools are the primary setting in which autistic children receive intervention. Despite a growing array of evidence-based interventions (EBI) such as behavioral management, EBIs often are unavailable in schools due to misalignment of existing implementation strategies (IS) with that setting. Large numbers of IS have been described for the education sector, but there is a dire need to identify the most efficient IS to support use of EBI in resource-strapped public schools. This project will apply the local Discover, Design/Build and Test (DDBT) framework to redesign and pilot a multifaceted IS to support educator use of a behavioral skills EBI for autistic children in public schools. Read Less

ML-004-002 is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study that will enroll approximately 150 adolescent and adult subjects with ASD. The primary objective is to evaluate the efficacy of ML-004 compared with placebo in the improvement of social communication deficits in subjects with ASD. Read Less

This is a multicenter longitudinal study that aims to validate a set of measures that were previously identified as promising candidate biomarkers and/or sensitive and reliable objective measures of social function in ASD for potential use in clinical trials. The confirmation study will repeat the data collection and analysis protocols from the original ABC-CT study. This confirmation study will recruit 200 ASD and 200 TD comparison participants who are 6-11 years old, matching the overall sample size but providing a larger normative reference sample and greater statistical power for group comparisons. 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

Despite strong consensus that early, specialized intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can have a dramatic impact on outcomes, the public health system's capacity to provide such services is severely challenged by the rapid rise in ASD prevalence. The goal of this research project is to increase timely and equitable access to ASD-specialized early intervention during the critical first three years of life by capitalizing on the existing infrastructure of the Part C Early Intervention (EI) system, which is publicly funded and available in all states in the United States. This project will train EI providers to use an evidence-based, parent-mediated intervention that can improve child and family outcomes as well as mitigate the long-term substantial economic costs associated with ASD. Read Less

This is a multicenter study that aims to determine whether the EEG and ET experiments studied in the ABC-CT Phase 1 and ABC-CT Confirmation studies can be successfully used with 3-5-year-old children and to determine the viability of these measures as potential biomarkers in 3-5-year-old children with ASD. Blood (DNA) samples will be collected from participants with ASD and biological parents for future genomic analyses, and raw, processed, and analyzed data will be shared to create a community resource accessible for use by all qualified investigators. These objectives are designed to advance the long term objective of developing promising biomarkers via the FDA Biomarker Qualification Program. This feasibility study aims to enroll 25 ASD and 25 TD eligible participants who are 3-5 years old. Read Less

The purpose of the proposed three-site study is to test whether an educator-level implementation strategy, coaching, with or without a school-level implementation strategy, school-based teams, will maximize paraeducators' use (fidelity and sustainment) of an evidence-based social engagement intervention, Remaking Recess (RR). RR aims to improve peer related social skills for autistic students and their non-autistic peers who are socially isolated or peripheral and need support during recess. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate if a redesigned version of the RUBI parenting intervention can reduce challenging behaviors and improve adaptive skills in autistic adults with co-occurring challenging behaviors. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the redesigned RUBI intervention feasible and acceptable for autistic adults and their families? * Does the redesigned RUBI intervention reduce challenging behaviors and enhance the quality of life for autistic adults? * Researchers will compare the redesigned RUBI intervention to an active control group, Introduction to the Science and Lived Experience of Autism (ISLEA), to see if RUBI is more effective in improving outcomes for autistic adults and their families. Participants will: * Attend sessions where they receive either the RUBI intervention or the ISLEA program. * Engage in activities designed to promote communication, co-regulation, and autonomy in the context of supporting autistic adults. * Complete assessments at the start, throughout, and at the end of the 20-week trial to evaluate outcomes such as challenging behaviors, adaptive skills, and quality of life. Read Less

The goal of this collaborative R01 is to demonstrate the therapeutic value and community-wide implementability of an early intervention (EI) platform for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is completely virtual, from recruitment through intervention. This platform-Early Social Interaction Mobile Coaching (ESI-MC) deploys individual telehealth sessions with coaching and feedback to help families embed intervention in everyday activities. Specifically, the investigators will conduct an effectiveness trial of ESI-MC to address the important question of whether starting evidence-based intervention earlier leads to better outcomes than starting later. The investigators will address this question by using a modified stepped wedge design and blended implementation research to analyze data obtained with ESI-MC start at 18, 24, or 30 months. The investigators will diagnostically ascertain 240 children from a pool of 360 18-month-olds with early signs of autism, 30 in each of 8 US regions (Central and SW Florida; Atlanta, GA; suburbs of Philadelphia, PA; New York City, NY; Cincinnati, OH; Chicago, IL; Seattle, WA; and Los Angeles, CA). Research participants will be recruited using a new virtual platform-My Baby Navigator-linking a new surveillance and screening tool, an app to upload video-recorded home observations and telehealth intervention sessions, and a package of educational resources. The 240 children will be randomly assigned to one of three ESI-MC timing groups. ESI-MC will be delivered by community-based early intervention providers (EIPs) currently working within the the early intervention system in the recruitment regions. The investigators will measure child active engagement and social communication change every 6 months as the primary outcome variables. Outcome measures of developmental level, autism symptoms, and adaptive behavior will be examined to measure differential treatment effects. Maximizing the use of mobile technology, ESI-MC offers the prospect of a community-viable, scalable and sustainable treatment to improve EI services for toddlers with ASD, particularly among minority and low-resource communities. Read Less

The goal of this proposed trial will modify an existing toothbrushing app for teens with autism and compare toothbrushing outcomes with a control app. We have 2 specific aims: * During the 2-year UG3 phase, we will use the Discover, Design+Build, and Test Framework to modify our existing app and pilot the intervention. * During the 4-year UH3 phase, we will recruit 270 pre-adolescents and teens with autism ages 10 to 17 years, randomize participants to one of two arms, and compare outcomes. Participants will asked to use the app, complete surveys on REDCap, participate in feedback interviews and focus groups. Behavior change in the experimental group will be compared with that in the control group. Read Less

The proposed three-year pilot randomized trial aims to test the effectiveness of the newly-redesigned paraeducator-delivered RUBI for use in Educational Settings (RUBIES) intervention compared to usual care training in reducing disruptive behavior in 80 elementary-school children with ASD. Given the critical need to understand not just whether, but also how interventions work, this study also will examine paraeducator- and child-level mechanistic pathways of the RUBIES intervention. Read Less