Improving Self Regulation in Children With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Spectrum Disorders: A Neuroplastic Intervention

May 26, 2015 updated by: Joanne Rovet, The Hospital for Sick Children
This study on children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) aims to (i) characterize their self-regulation deficits, a process important for controlling emotions and behavior, (ii) describe brain structure and function underlying self-regulation, and (iii) determine whether training to improve self-regulation abilities changes brain and behavior. Individuals with FASD have a high risk of cognitive and social deficits, which reflect their difficulties in self-regulation and may lead to mental health concerns in adulthood. Importantly, early intervention improves long-term outcome. However the full extent of self-regulation problems in FASDs is unknown and the underlying neuroanatomy has not been fully described. Furthermore, information on how to best treat children with FASDs is lacking. Thus, the investigators propose three studies with a sample of 8-12 year old children, 40 with FASDs and 20 typically developing controls. In Study 1, the participants will be evaluated on cognitive and social self-regulation abilities using clinical and experimental tests. In Study 2, the participants will undergo a 1-hour MRI scanning session to obtain measures of their brain structure and function. In Study 3, FASDs will be randomly assigned to an immediate or delayed treatment group. The immediate group will undergo 12-weeks of therapy with the Alert Program for Self Regulation®. On conclusion of training, all will repeat Studies 1 and 2 and following this retest, the delayed treatment group will undergo training. The investigators will evaluate change in cognitive and social behavior and in brain structure and function by comparing performance and neuroimaging findings before and after the intervention. The investigators expect Alert training to significantly improve behavior and alter brain regions important for self-regulation. The findings will yield important information for improving self-regulation in FASDs and mitigating the development of mental health challenges.

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.

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.
65

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

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

8 years to 12 years (CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • FASD: diagnosis of FAS/pFAS or ARND OR
  • healthy child

Exclusion Criteria:

  • head injury or other neurological abnormality
  • debilitating or chronic medical condition affecting the nervous system
  • MRI contraindication, such as braces
  • inability to read
  • non-English speaking
  • IQ below 80 (typically developing controls only)

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
  • Masking: NONE

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: Alert Program for Self-Regulation
Participants with FASD who received the Alert Program for Self-Regulation therapy between the two testing periods.
Behavioral: Alert Program for Self-Regulation
Children attend 12 1.5 hour weekly sessions. Alert uses the analogy of a car engine to help children identify their own self-regulatory behavior. Children learn strategies to regulate their own "engine speed" in different situations.
NO_INTERVENTION: FASD Alert Waitlist
Participants with FASD who did not receive therapy between the two testing periods but were provided intervention on study completion.
NO_INTERVENTION: Typically Developing Control
Normally developing controls not exposed to alcohol in utero who were not treated between the two testing periods.

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
Emotion regulation
Time Frame: 14 weeks after initial testing
Evaluated by parent questionnaires
14 weeks after initial testing

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Inhibitory control: Test of Everyday Attention for Children; NEPSY, BRIEF
Time Frame: 14 weeks after initial testing
Evaluated by neuropsychological tests
14 weeks after initial testing
Social cognition: Saltzman's Social Cognitive Task; NEPSY
Time Frame: 14 weeks after initial testing
Evaluated by neuropsychological tests
14 weeks after initial testing
Behavior: Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function; Child Behavior Checklist
Time Frame: 14 weeks after initial testing
Evaluated by parent questionnaires
14 weeks after initial testing
Brain structure: Voxel-based morphometry
Time Frame: 14 weeks after initial testing
Voxel-based morphometry analyses
14 weeks after initial testing
Brain structure: Cortical thickness
Time Frame: 14 weeks after initial testing
Civet pipeline
14 weeks after initial testing
Brain function: Functional MRI
Time Frame: 14 weeks after initial testing
Response inhibition paradigm
14 weeks after initial testing

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.
The Hospital for Sick Children

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

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: Joanne Rovet, PhD, The Hospital for Sick Children

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.
October 1, 2009

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.
June 1, 2012

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).
November 19, 2014

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.
May 26, 2015

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.
May 29, 2015

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.
May 29, 2015

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.
May 26, 2015

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.
May 1, 2015

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.
  • 1000014076

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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