Osteopathic Manual Medicine Treatment in Autism (OMMA)

January 19, 2016 updated by: New York Institute of Technology

Osteopathic Manual Medicine Treatment in Autism, A Pilot Study

The purpose of this study is to determine how osteopathic manual medicine (OMM) will affect core autism features including social and communication deficits. The investigators believe that OMM approaches can positively influence some features associated with Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Autism is a complex neuro-developmental disorder of early childhood onset characterized by impairments in the core triad of social interaction, repetitive-stereotypes behaviors, and verbal/nonverbal communication. This major public health concern exerts an enormous toll on the quality of life of affected individuals, families, and society. Though there are medications available for use in managing autism associated behaviors, including aggression, self-injury and hyperactivity, there are no medical treatments of proven benefit in treating core autistic features such as social and communication deficits. Complementary and alternative medical treatments(CAM) are commonly used by individuals with a wide variety of medical diseases including autism despite little evidence-based support for their efficacy. Recent surveys reveal the prevalence of CAM use in children with autism to be between 30% and 95%. Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) is one of the most well studied CAM treatments, achieving widening acceptance with increasing evidence of safety and efficacy, as an adjunct in the treatment of a number of conditions. OMM appears to be a safe treatment modality in the pediatric population when administered by physicians with expertise in OMM. At a physiologic level, OMM has been proposed to elicit some of its therapeutic and biomechanical effects through an ability to mobilize body fluids, increase removal of metabolic waste, and boost immune function. OMM has been shown to have favorable effects on neuro-endocrine and immunologic function. As theories of autism pathogenesis often revolve around immune dysregulation including lowered IgA levels, and accumulation of metabolic and xenobiotic agents, there are theoretical mechanisms through which OMM can exert therapeutic effects. In practice, OMM has been shown to improve sensory and motor performance with neurological problems, including autism. Additionally, studies of manual medicine techniques similar in principle to OMM, including Qigong massage and Tuina, have yielded favorable outcomes on a number of core autistic features including social, language, sensory, cognition and self-care domains as measured by the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Functional Independence Measures for Children(WeeFIM). 30 subjects will be randomized to receive OMM or sham treatments. Standardized assessment tools for autism symptom severity (ABC and WeeFIM) will be administered pre- and post-study to compare treatment efficacy between arm. Saliva samples will be collected pre- and post-treatment sessions to evaluate biochemical response and to catalog genetic markers that could provide insight into subsets exhibiting differential response.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
3

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • Central Islip, New York, United States, 11722
        • Family Care Center - New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
      • Old Westbury, New York, United States, 11568
        • Academic Health Care Center at Old Westbury

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

3 years to 11 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • clinical diagnosis of Autism
  • ages 3-11 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • individuals outside the age range
  • inability to provide documentation verifying Autism diagnosis
  • currently receiving or previously received osteopathic treatment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: OMM Hands-On Treatment
The Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) Hands-On Treatment group will be receiving an osteopathic structural exam along with 7 gentle, non-thrusting techniques during each treatment session that lasts 20-30 minutes. The Sham treatment group will be receiving only an osteopathic structural exam that will be slowed down in order to be a similar duration to the full treatment group session (approximately 20-30 minutes).
Other: Osteopathic Manual Medicine (Body Therapy)
OMM techniques include the following - paraspinal soft tissue myofascial release, rib raising, cervical spine soft tissue myofascial release, suboccipital inhibition, thoracic balanced ligamentous tension technique, thoracic lymphatic pump and pedal lymphatic pump.
Placebo Comparator: Sham OMM
Sham Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM)
Other: Sham OMM
Sham Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC)
Time Frame: Enrollment, following treatment 4 (within 4-8 weeks post enrollment), and two weeks post completion of treatment 4 (within 6-10 weeks post enrollment)
This outcome measure is measuring the change from before and after each of the four treatments are administered. This is one of three primary outcomes being measured.
Enrollment, following treatment 4 (within 4-8 weeks post enrollment), and two weeks post completion of treatment 4 (within 6-10 weeks post enrollment)
Salivary IgA and Salivary Cortisol
Time Frame: Change in baseline following treatment session 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Day 7, 14, 21, 28)
This outcome measure is measuring the change from before and after each of the four treatments are administered. This is one of three primary outcomes being measured.
Change in baseline following treatment session 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Day 7, 14, 21, 28)
WeeFIM measurement of child's functional abilities
Time Frame: Enrollment, following treatment 4 (within 4-8 weeks post enrollment), and two weeks post completion of treatment 4 (within 6-10 weeks post enrollment)
This outcome measure is measuring the change from before and after each of the four treatments are administered. This is one of three primary outcomes being measured.
Enrollment, following treatment 4 (within 4-8 weeks post enrollment), and two weeks post completion of treatment 4 (within 6-10 weeks post enrollment)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
New York Institute of Technology

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: David Tegay, D.O., New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 16, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 28, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 30, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 21, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 19, 2016

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • BHS-760

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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