Asperger Syndrome

Researchers are evaluating an early behavioral intervention program for toddlers aged 16 to 48 months who are waiting to receive a formal autism diagnosis. The study aims to address delays in autism diagnosis and intervention by offering caregivers access to a self-directed online training resource during the waitlist period. This approach seeks to empower parents to support their childrens development early, potentially reducing the harms associated with waiting for diagnosis and intervention services. Participants will be randomly assigned to either receive access to the Online Parent Training in Early Behavioral Intervention OPT-In-Early program or be placed on a waitlist without intervention for six months. The OPT-In-Early program includes 14 modules 6 mandatory and 8 optional with text and video materials teaching caregivers strategies to improve language, social, and adaptive skills and reduce disruptive behaviors. Parents can also schedule brief support calls with a clinician for guidance during the intervention period. After six months, waitlist participants will gain access to the program, but outcomes will not be measured for them. Throughout the study, caregivers complete assessments including individualized goal setting with video recordings to capture their childs current skills and progress. Standardized measures of adaptive behavior, parental stress, and autism-related challenges are collected at baseline and after six months. Researchers will monitor program engagement using website usage data and support call frequency. The primary outcome is change in goal attainment as measured by Goal Attainment Scaling, with additional measures assessing adaptive functioning and parental well-being. The total participation time is six months, during which families receive ongoing support and data collection.

Researchers are investigating the use of transcranial direct current stimulation tDCS combined with cognitive training to address symptoms in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder ASD. ASD is characterized by challenges in communication, social skills, repetitive behaviors, and emotional distress triggered by environmental changes. This study aims to determine if baseline resting-state EEG and clinical data can predict which individuals respond to tDCS treatment, helping to improve intervention strategies. Participants will receive active tDCS over 10 sessions during two weeks, with one session per day on consecutive working days. Each session includes 20 minutes of tDCS combined with an online cognitive training program consisting of five exercises targeting information processing speed and executive function. After treatment, participants will be classified as responders or non-responders based on changes in social responsiveness scores. During the study, assessments will measure changes in social communication and repetitive behaviors using the Social Responsiveness Scale, cognitive function through various CANTAB tests, and neurophysiological measures at the start and immediately after the intervention. Researchers will monitor behavioral changes and executive function outcomes to evaluate the impact of the combined treatment over the study period ending in 2026.

This research aims to evaluate the feasibility of a parent-child yoga intervention designed to reduce attention deficits in children aged 4 to 6 years with congenital heart disease CHD. Children with CHD often face neurodevelopmental challenges, including a higher risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD. This study is a preliminary step before conducting a larger randomized controlled trial RCT to test the effectiveness of this intervention in improving attention and long-term academic and psychosocial outcomes for these children and their families. The study is a single-blind, two-center, two-arm randomized feasibility trial involving 24 parent-child pairs. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 21 ratio to either an 8-week parent-child yoga program plus standard clinical care or standard clinical care alone with a waitlist option for yoga after the study. The yoga sessions last 45 minutes each week and include active and calming parts embedded in stories suitable for the childs developmental level. Parents and children will also be encouraged to practice 5-minute at-home exercises three times a week throughout the 8-week period and continue up to a 6-month follow-up. Participants will undergo three neurodevelopmental assessments before the intervention, immediately after, and six months later. The study will monitor recruitment, dropout, and adherence rates acceptability of randomization variation in yoga delivery and data completeness. These measurements will help determine the feasibility of the procedures and inform the sample size for the future full-scale RCT. Overall participation spans about eight months including the intervention and follow-up periods.

Researchers are studying a birth cohort of infants to understand how allergies might be linked to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder ASD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD, and learning disabilities. The study aims to identify factors in early life that influence these neurodevelopmental outcomes using standard diagnostic criteria DSM-5. This observational study is led by Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and focuses on children living in Jinan City and nearby areas in China. Infants in the study are divided into two groups based on allergy status an allergic group and a control group without allergies. They will be followed for up to six years, with periodic collection of biological samples like blood, urine, and feces. Growth measurements such as height and weight, along with developmental assessments like the GESELL test, will be recorded during regular follow-ups. Participants will undergo evaluations to monitor for signs of ASD, ADHD, or learning disabilities over the study period. Researchers will gather data through questionnaires and clinical examinations at multiple time points from 2023 to 2029. This long-term follow-up helps assess how early-life allergies may affect neurodevelopment. The study provides ongoing monitoring but does not involve any treatment interventions.

Researchers are studying a strength-based employment program designed to help young adults on the autism spectrum improve their job maintenance skills. This program focuses on using individual strengths rather than correcting deficits, responding to the autism communitys call for more positive and holistic approaches. The study aims to evaluate how effective this approach is in improving work satisfaction and the ability to keep jobs among young adults with autism. Participants in the study are randomly assigned to one of two groups one group receives the strength-based training called KF-STRIDE Into Work, which consists of 10 web-based sessions lasting about 60 minutes each, delivered once or twice a week. The other group continues with their usual services and regular activities without the additional intervention. This randomized, single-masked study compares the outcomes between these two groups. Throughout the study, participants complete various assessments before and immediately after the intervention period of seven to eight weeks. These include questionnaires about employment, self-efficacy, strengths use, flourishing, resilience, work satisfaction, and self-esteem. Researchers also gather participant impressions of change and evaluate job search skills. The study monitors these measures to understand the programs impact on job maintenance skills in autistic young adults.

Autism Spectrum Disorder ASD is a developmental condition marked by challenges in social behavior and communication, along with repetitive behaviors. Researchers are evaluating Esomeprazole as a potential treatment to improve social communication deficits in children with ASD. This is an open-label Phase 2 study inviting 25 children aged 2 to 6 years to participate over 12 weeks. Participants receive Esomeprazole with dosing based on their weight. Children weighing less than 20 kg take 10 mg once daily for 8 weeks. Those weighing 20 kg or more start with 10 mg once daily for 4 weeks, then increase to 20 mg once daily for another 4 weeks. This dosing schedule is designed to assess the medications effects over the treatment period. During the study, children will be monitored at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks using assessments like the Social Responsiveness Scale SRS-2 and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist ABC-2 to measure changes in social behaviors and other symptoms. Caregivers provide ratings and attend clinic visits. The study emphasizes stable medication use and consistent psychosocial support during participation, with a total duration of 12 weeks.

This research aims to improve mental health treatment for autistic individuals by developing and testing a toolkit for therapists. The study is divided into two phases first, remote focus groups with autistic individuals and licensed therapists will explore barriers to mental health care and ways to enhance it. The goal is to create a resource that helps therapists adapt evidence-based treatments for autistic clients. In the second phase, therapists at a community clinic will be randomly assigned to either continue their usual psychotherapy approach or to use the new toolkit while treating autistic adolescents. This toolkit includes strategies designed to improve therapists knowledge, confidence, and the quality of care they provide. The study will compare outcomes between the two groups over time. Participants will include autistic adolescents aged 13 to 17 with co-occurring mental health conditions, and therapists from the community clinic. The study will collect data through measures of intervention acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness at baseline and one month. Additional assessments will examine therapist knowledge, confidence, client satisfaction, goal attainment, and clinical impressions up to four months. The study will run from April 2026 to December 2027.

This research aims to evaluate the effects of specialized employment support programs for adults with autism spectrum disorder ASD, focusing on improving steady employment and overall benefits to their workplaces. The study compares Stanford Universitys Neurodiversity at Work NaW Program to traditional vocational rehabilitation approaches. The goal is to better understand factors that contribute to successful employment and quality of life QoL for adults with ASD, potentially advancing supportive programs in the workplace and beyond. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group receives a 6-week pre-employment training followed by ongoing support from a team manager, peer mentors, counselors, and coaches starting at onboarding and continuing for 12 weeks. The other group receives typical orientation with delayed support starting 6 months after onboarding. Both groups have managers and coworkers trained to better support employees with ASD. Throughout the study, participants will complete behavioral assessments and quality of life questionnaires at various points, including before onboarding and up to 18 months afterward. Key measures include job retention rates, duration of sustained employment, costs related to employee turnover, rates of job offers, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment. The study also tracks burnout, job satisfaction, organizational support, and work motivation to gain insights into long-term employment outcomes and well-being for adults with ASD.

Researchers are studying whether adding AdiaVita, an umbilical cord blood-derived stem cell and exosome product, to glutathione therapy improves autism symptoms in children aged 3 to 12 better than glutathione alone. This 24-month study focuses on children with confirmed Autism Spectrum Disorder ASD and aims to assess changes in autism symptoms, safety, quality of life, and overall well-being. The study includes a randomized, crossover design with two treatment groups during the initial three months. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either glutathione alone or glutathione plus monthly intravenous AdiaVita infusions during the first three months. Both groups apply topical glutathione cream twice daily at home. After the initial phase, children in the glutathione-only group may cross over to receive AdiaVita infusions if safety checks at month 6 are satisfactory. The study tracks symptoms using the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist ATEC completed by parents and therapists or teachers over the two-year period. Throughout the study, participants attend regular clinic visits for physical exams, vital signs monitoring, blood tests, and adverse event reporting. Safety and side effects are closely monitored, with serious events receiving immediate attention. Families will complete ATEC assessments at multiple time points to measure changes in autism symptoms. Participation is voluntary, with costs covering the first phase and extension. Data are securely stored with privacy protections, and families may withdraw at any time.

Autism spectrum disorders ASDs are complex neuro-developmental conditions characterized by ongoing difficulties in social communication and interaction, along with restricted and repetitive behaviors or interests. These disorders involve inflammatory conditions and immune system dysfunction, which has led researchers to explore cell-based therapies as a potential treatment. This study is a Phase 1 clinical trial focusing on evaluating the safety and effects of stem cells for children with ASD. Participants in the trial receive three intravenous doses of allogeneic Wharton Jelly Mesenchymal Stromal Cells WJMSC at a dose of 1 million cells per kilogram of body weight. These doses are administered every two weeks as the treatment approach. The study aims to assess both safety and efficacy over a follow-up period extending to 12 months after treatment. During the study, researchers monitor participants through laboratory tests to evaluate the safety profile of the treatment. They also measure changes in attention and hyperactivity symptoms using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale over a 12-month follow-up. The trial involves children aged 4 to 14 years diagnosed with ASD, with regular assessments and follow-up visits scheduled throughout the year to observe treatment effects and ensure participant safety.