Identification of Characteristics Associated With Symptom Remission in Autism
Completed
Conditions studied: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Autism
In brief
Autism is defined as a lifelong pervasive developmental disability, as such, symptom recovery is considered rare. Reports by Lovaas and McEachin, Smith \& Lovaas and more recently by Cohen, Amerine-Dickens, \& Smith, Smith Groen et al. and Sutera Pandey et al suggest that intensive behavioral intervention programs during preschool years may result in improvement to the point where some children no longer meet criteria for autism by the time they reach school age. Similarly, there are a large number of anecdotal reports of children with autism who, following intensive biomedical intervention (e.g., gluten/casein free diets, vitamin supplements, chelation), are indistinguishable from their typically developing peers. The goal of the current research is to characterize the behavioral and biological profiles of children with autism who show significant symptom reduction such that they no longer meet criteria for autism (Remitted Autism \[REM-AUT\]) and to contrast them with a group of children who continue to meet criteria for autism (AUT) and to typically developing (TD) group of children. Examining whether neurobiological and neurobehavioral symptoms commonly reported in autism are as frequent and severe in children who have responded to treatment is an important first step in determining what factors may contribute to symptom remission in autism. In addition, understanding how children with remitted autism compare to typically developing children will help us better understand whether symptom improvement is through remediation (normalization of function) or compensation (achieving the same behavioral/adaptive outcome but through an alternative process).
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00938054
- Run by
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- People needed
- 37
- Starts
- 2009-06-25
- Expected to finish
- 2012-10-09
- Last updated by the study team
- 2017-10-06
Who can join
Age: 7 and older, up to 17. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may not qualify if…
- All groups: May not be pregnant or have a known genetic disorder, mitochondrial disease, history of birth trauma, or current uncontrolled seizures
- TD Group:
- Current diagnosis or significant history of pervasive developmental disorder, language delay or disorder (except articulation), attention or learning issues, or major psychiatric condition.
- Prematurity at birth less than 36 weeks gestation); or birth weight significantly below normal for gestational age (SGA- small for gestational age).
- PARENTS OF ALL STUDY PARTICIPANTS:
- As noted parents of all study groups will provide DNA, plasma, and serum samples.
Where it is running
- National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike — Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.