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Research Studies

Research is the key to improving our knowledge about possible causes of autism and helping to identify effective treatments. The following researchers are seeking participants to assist in their studies.

If you are seeking funding sources to conduct a study, click here for more information about the Autism Society San Diego Bernard Rimland Memorial Research Grant.

If you are seeking participants for studies relating to ASD (must be IRB approved) and would like your information to be posted, please click here to submit.

Below is a list of researchers seeking participants for their studies.

A Double-Blind, Crossover Trial of Cannabidiol to Treat Severe Behavior Problems in Children with Autism

11/15/2021

Principal Investigator: Doris Trauner MD
Sponsor: The Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation
Study Start Date: 6/1/2020
Study End Date: 12/31/2021
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/nct04517799

858-822-6701
caknight@health.ucsd.edu

Our study at UC San Diego is investigating the efficacy of CBD in treating severe behavior problems in children with autism. We would love to have our study posted to your website. Attached is our request form, IRB approval, and consent forms. Below is the synopsis/abstract included in our research protocol:

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may have severe behavior problems, including aggression, self-injurious behaviors, severe and persistent stereotypic behaviors, and extreme hyperactivity, which limit their ability to function socially and academically and are often disruptive to family life as well. Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound originally derived from the cannabis plant but without the psychoactive effects found in cannabis, has been shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of children with severe epilepsy. CBD has also been found to reduce anxiety. Parents of autistic children have been using CBD products in an unregulated fashion with unknown dosing with anecdotal reports of improved behavior.

This study will use EPIDIOLEX (EPX), a purified CBD oral solution that was FDA approved in June 2018 to treat severe forms of pediatric epilepsy. Study subjects will be 30 boys between 7 and 14 years of age with autism who have severe behavior problems. Every child will undergo baseline clinical evaluation, neuropsychological, behavioral, cognitive, and language testing, will have a test of brain wave activity (EEG) and a brain MRI scan. Fifteen children will receive CBD for 8 weeks and 15 will receive a placebo that looks and tastes similar to the CBD. All of the baseline tests will then be repeated. After a 4 week washout period, some of the behavioral and cognitive tests will be repeated and then the treatments will be reversed. At the end of 8 weeks, all of the baseline tests will be repeated. Study personnel and parents will be blinded to the treatment status of each child. Statistical analyses will be used to determine whether there are significant differences between baseline testing and results after placebo or CBD treatment.

Types and severities of adverse events will be tracked to provide information about the safety and tolerability of CBD in this population. If CBD is found to be safe and effective in treating the behavioral problems associated with autism, this would be a major new tool in the treatment of those children that could lead to improved functioning and quality of life for the affected individuals and their families.

Consent Form

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Attention Differences in Persons with ASD and their Family Members

11/15/2021

Alan Lincoln, Ph.D., MSCP, BCBA-D and Shamayne Brown, M.A.
Neuroscience Center of Alliant International University
858-635-4068
sbrown7@alliant.edu or alincoln@alliant.edu

Participate in Research: Attention Differences in Boys with ASD and their Family Members

Boys with ASD between the ages of 8 and 16 and BOTH of their biological parents are invited to participate in a study examining attention skills and genetics.

Boys who are typically developing and their biological parents are also invited to serve as a control group.

This research taking place at the Neuroscience Center of Alliant International University under the supervision of Alan Lincoln, Ph.D., MSCP, BCBA-D and Shamayne Brown, M.A. You must be able to travel to the lab.

Study Requirements:

Both biological parents and son must participate.
Each parent will complete questionnaires about him or herself. This should take about 30 minutes.
Each parent will complete a brief standard cognitive measure. This should take about 30 minutes.
Each parent will complete a complete a customer task. This should take about 30 minutes.
One parent will complete questionnaires about your son. This should take about 25 minutes.
Your son will complete the brief standard cognitive measure. This should take about 30 minutes.
Your son will complete the computer task. This should take about 30 minutes.

Upon the completion of participation in this study, your son will receive a $20.00 cash gift and each parent will each receive a $10 gift card. You may also receive, upon request, results of your performance and/or your child’s performance.

Refer another family to the study and be entered in a drawing for a $200 Visa gift card.

If you are interested in participating, please contact us at 858-635-4068, or by email: sbrown7@alliant.edu or alincoln@alliant.edu

UCSD Autism Center of Excellence: SPARK Study

11/15/2021

Hannah Kaplan
SPARK Research Coordinator
UCSD Autism Center of Excellence
858-534-6906
www.sparkforautism.org/ucsd.sarrc
h1kaplan@ucsd.edu

Our center is currently a part of a large autism research study called SPARK that includes both biological parents and child diagnosed with ASD. SPARK seeks to speed up autism research and improve our understanding of autism. This includes learning what causes autism and how best to treat it. Our goal is to build a community of 50,000 individuals with autism and their biological family members.

Our Goal: SPARK seeks to speed up research and improve our understanding of autism. This includes learning what causes autism and how best to treat it. UCSD ACE and over 20 of the nation’s leading medical schools and autism research centers are part of this effort.

What We Do: SPARK researchers study genes and information collected from thousands of people with autism and, if possible, their parents. We hope you will join us!

How To Join

Sign-up online at www.sparkforautism.org/ucsd.sarrc. It only takes about 20 minutes.
Complete a few questionnaires online.
Provide a saliva sample. We will send a small saliva collection kit to your home. When you are done, simply mail it back to us for free.
*If you are promoted with: “Were you referred by a university, hospital, or registry?” Please select UCSD SARRC!*

There is no cost to take part in SPARK. The research is sponsored by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI). If you have any questions about the study, let me know and I would be more than happy to discuss them either by email or phone. You can respond to this email or call Hannah Kaplan directly at (858)-534-6906.

Learn More & Sign Up

Unstuck and On Target

11/15/2021

Andy Jin, 3C Research Assistant
(919) 677-0102 ext. 583
jin@3cisd.com
http://unstuckontarget.com/study

Are you a parent of an 8-12 year old child with Autism Spectrum Disorder without an intellectual disability? Does your child report experiencing problems with flexibility, planning, and/or organization? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a research study to provide feedback on a software program for parents that provides advanced training on how to apply an evidence-based curriculum, Unstuck and On Target, at home.

If eligible and chosen to participate in the study, all participants will be asked to complete the following research activities online. These activities are expected to take approximately 2 hours and you’ll have 2 weeks to complete these activities. If participants complete the following research activities, they will receive a $75 Amazon gift code for their participation.

Complete a survey of demographic information
Access and complete tasks on the software prototype
Review website examples of future software development
Complete a product evaluation to provide feedback on the prototype and website examples.

Following the completion of the online research activities, we will ask you to participate in a brief phone call about your experiences with the prototype lasting no longer than 45 minutes.

In order to learn more about the study or to determine if you are eligible to participate in this study, please visit this link: http://unstuckontarget.com/study

If you have any questions about this research, please contact Andy Jin, 3C Research Assistant, via e-mail at jin@3cisd.com or via phone at (919) 677-0102 ext. 583.

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Research Studies

A Double-Blind, Crossover Trial of Cannabidiol to Treat Severe Behavior Problems in Children with Autism

Attention Differences in Persons with ASD and their Family Members

UCSD Autism Center of Excellence: SPARK Study

Unstuck and On Target

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