Developmental Delay

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 children's 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 child's 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.

Preterm birth, defined as birth before 37 weeks of gestation, occurs in about 8 percent of pregnancies in Canada and is linked to many health challenges, especially when it happens before 29 weeks. At this early stage, infants often face breathing difficulties and may require resuscitation. This trial compares resuscitation using either low (30%) or high (60%) oxygen levels to determine which approach results in better survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes at around 24 months of age. The study uses a cluster randomized crossover design where hospitals alternate between starting resuscitation with 30% or 60% oxygen for groups of 30 infants. Resuscitation includes standard care steps like lung expansion and ventilation support as needed. Oxygen is initially given at the assigned concentration for the first 5 minutes, then adjusted based on the infant's oxygen saturation levels and heart rate over the next 5 minutes to maintain target saturation ranges. This approach aims to balance risks of too much or too little oxygen. Participants are infants born between 23 and 28 weeks gestation who receive full resuscitation at participating centers. During the study, infants have oxygen saturation monitored continuously, and adjustments to oxygen concentration are made carefully. Researchers will evaluate survival and major neurodevelopmental outcomes at 24 months corrected age, along with several safety and health measures during the neonatal intensive care stay. The trial is expected to provide important evidence to guide oxygen use during resuscitation of extremely preterm infants.

Researchers are studying changes in the shape of the palate in growing children with different vertical facial growth patterns who have a posterior cross-bite. The study focuses on patients with mixed dentition, skeletal Class I relationship, and who are in the prepubertal stage. The goal is to understand how rapid palatal expander treatment affects the palate morphology among hyperdivergent, hypodivergent, and normodivergent facial types. The treatment involves using a rapid palatal expander device for about 6 months. Patients will be grouped based on their facial divergence patterns. Digital dental casts will be recorded before and after the treatment using an intraoral scanner. Researchers will perform linear measurements and a comprehensive study of the palate shape using a set of 240 landmarks and semi-landmarks. Geometric Morphometric Analysis (GMA) will compare the palate shape changes among the different groups. Participants will undergo clinical evaluations and have pre-treatment and post-treatment digital records including oral scans and photographs. The primary outcome is to measure morphological changes of the palate after 6 months. Secondary outcomes include detailed shape analysis of the palatal vault among the different facial types. The study requires good quality records and informed consent from participants, with total participation lasting around 6 months.

Researchers are investigating the use of 3D resin printed models in anatomy education, focusing on how fractured bone models affect students' decision-making and quiz results. This study aims to evaluate the practicality of these high-quality, detailed resin models compared to standard anatomical models, enhancing hands-on training for wrist fracture rehabilitation. The research is sponsored by Abant Izzet Baysal University and targets educational problems related to anatomical pathological conditions. Participants will receive a 60-minute theoretical lesson on wrist anatomy and fracture pathophysiology. Then, they are randomly assigned to one of two groups: one practices with 3D resin printed fractured wrist models, while the other uses standard anatomical wrist models. Both groups have 2-hour practical sessions scheduled during morning hours to reduce fatigue. The study compares the effectiveness of learning with these two types of models. During the study, participants undergo various assessments including a one-hour clinical test as the primary outcome. Secondary measures include academic motivation, test anxiety, and ease of use questionnaires, each taking about one hour. The study involves training sessions, practical handling of models, and evaluations to understand educational impact. The total study duration and follow-up details are as scheduled by the research team, concluding by October 30, 2025.

Researchers are studying the brain's action observation network (AON), which is involved in understanding and imitating movements, especially focusing on subcortical areas and the cerebellum. The study aims to explore how this network functions in healthy individuals and in people with Cerebral Palsy (CP) who have early brain injuries. This research seeks to understand differences in brain activation patterns and their relation to clinical features in CP patients using advanced imaging techniques. Participants will undergo a 7 Tesla MRI scan using a high-resolution functional and anatomical protocol. The MRI will capture detailed images of brain structures including the cerebral cortex, subcortical nuclei, and cerebellum. Visual tasks involving observation of hand movements and tool use will be presented during the scan. CP patients will also receive a full clinical assessment before the MRI. The study includes both healthy volunteers and CP patients, with careful monitoring of participant compliance to avoid motion artifacts. During the study, researchers will evaluate brain activation and connectivity maps of the AON from the 7T MRI data. Participants' motor functions and clinical characteristics will be assessed for correlation with imaging results. The study involves observation during MRI scanning, clinical assessments, and monitoring of participants' responses to visual stimuli. This trial is expected to provide detailed insights into brain network organization and its changes in CP. The total participation includes MRI scanning and clinical evaluations around a single visit.

Researchers are evaluating a 12-week early intervention program designed to address social communication difficulties in young children with developmental disorders. The program targets children diagnosed with conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, neurogenetic disorders, or intellectual disability. The goal is to assess how well this program supports social skills in preschool-aged children. The intervention involves 12 hours per week of intensive treatment delivered either in a center-based preschool setting or at home. Over the 12-week period, children receive structured support tailored to their social communication needs. This program is being studied as a behavioral approach to improve developmental outcomes. Participants will be assessed before and after the 12-week program using parent-rated questionnaires that measure social responsiveness, repetitive behaviors, social dimensions, adaptive behavior, sensory profiles, and self-efficacy. These evaluations help researchers monitor changes in social communication and related behaviors. The total participation duration in the study is 12 weeks, with assessments at the start and end of the program.

Researchers are investigating the effects of the PAX Good Behavior Game (GBG) in Swedish primary schools to address growing concerns of mental health issues among children and stress-related symptoms in teachers. This cluster-randomized controlled trial involves 28 schools and about 84 teachers, aiming to improve student well-being and reduce teacher stress. The study compares PAX GBG to active control interventions that also provide teacher training but with different content. The trial includes extensive measurements over two years, including self-assessments, classroom observations, sound level monitoring, sick leave data, and qualitative interviews. Teachers randomized to the PAX GBG group receive a two-day training on ten specific tools designed to promote prosocial and focused behaviors in classrooms, including a team-based game rewarding good behavior. Control schools choose between two alternatives: 'Count On Me!', a math fluency application for pupils, or a Collegial Learning Community intervention focused on professional development for teachers. Both groups receive similar amounts of training and supervision, including multiple sessions during the school year. The interventions are integrated into regular classroom activities starting in grade 1 through grade 3. Participants include approximately 2200 pupils and their teachers, with data collected through various methods such as questionnaires, standardized tests, observer ratings, and registry data. Measurements occur at multiple time points over two years, focusing on pupil well-being, teacher stress, classroom behavior, noise levels, and implementation fidelity. The study also evaluates cost-effectiveness by comparing health outcomes and related expenses. Safety and adverse events are monitored through teacher reports and interviews, ensuring comprehensive assessment of the interventions' impact.

Adults with intellectual disabilities often face challenges in social situations due to difficulties in processing social information, especially in recognizing facial emotions. This research evaluates a cognitive remediation program called Re9habilitus, designed to improve attentional and visuospatial functions to reduce behavioral disorders in adults with intellectual disabilities who do not have autism spectrum disorder. The study aims to validate whether this program can help address specific cognitive and behavioral issues in daily life for this population. Participants are randomly assigned to either the Re9habilitus cognitive remediation program, which focuses on improving attention and spatial perception related to social behavior, or to a control group engaging in manual activities and computer-based research tasks. The study compares these two approaches to assess their effects on behavioral disorders and cognitive functions. During the study, participants are assessed on changes in hyperactivity and non-compliance behaviors using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist scale over six months. Researchers also measure improvements in facial emotion recognition and attentional functions at the start, end, and six months after the intervention. The total participation time and safety monitoring details are aligned with the evaluation periods, ensuring thorough follow-up to observe lasting effects.

Researchers are exploring how difficulties with learning sequences of sounds and grammar are connected in children with developmental language disorder (DLD), also called specific language impairment. This study focuses on three types of language patterns—Single Feature, OR/Disjunction, and Family Resemblance/Prototype—and investigates how children with DLD, speech sound disorder (SSD), and typical development respond to these patterns. The goal is to better understand the underlying causes of DLD and improve early diagnosis and treatment options. The study also considers whether adding meaning cues can help children learn language patterns more effectively. The study involves children aged 4 to 8 who will be randomly assigned to different groups to test sensitivity to these phonological patterns and the effect of semantic category cues. Participants will practice naming new words that match or do not match these patterns while researchers measure how accurately and consistently they produce sounds. Groups include children with DLD (with or without SSD), children with SSD alone, and typically developing children. The study also evaluates whether semantic cues improve learning of challenging patterns. Children will complete extensive testing including language assessments, hearing and oral structure checks, and autism screening to confirm eligibility. During sessions, researchers will measure speech accuracy, variability in articulation and acoustics, and response to semantic cues. These measures help track how well children learn and generalize language patterns. The study lasts about 30 minutes per assessment and aims to provide insights that support new intervention strategies for children with DLD and related speech disorders.

Researchers are studying disability risk in older adults to identify key factors that lead to disability and to develop a precise, digital system for early warning and prevention. This study integrates multiple data sources, including health records and cognitive assessments, to build a risk stratification model and an intelligent early warning system. The goal is to create a collaborative hospital-community-household system that actively manages disability risk in diverse urban and rural settings. The study involves implementing a digital platform that provides comprehensive assessments, dynamic monitoring, and targeted interventions for disability risk in older adults. Participants are randomly assigned to either an experimental group receiving these digital interventions or a control group receiving routine community-based health management like health education, exercise guidance, and dietary counseling. Participants will be involved for at least six months, with assessments at the start, three months, and six months after intervention. These include physical performance tests, disability risk scoring, and monitoring of intervention adherence. The study measures outcomes such as physical function, incidence of disability, and compliance with interventions to evaluate the effectiveness of the digital system in managing disability risk.