Collaborative Study Of Neurofeedback Training Of 6-18 Year Olds With Autism

October 3, 2010 updated by: Institute for Personal Excellence, P.A.

COLLABORATIVE STUDY OF NEUROFEEDBACK TRAINING OF 6-18YEAR OLDS WITH AUTISM

Neurofeedback, a neuro-cognitive training method based on operant conditioning, will be employed with 90 children with the Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) over a 60 session training period to improve the limiting behavioral and sensory symptoms Autism presents (with each collaborative site working with 45 of the 90 participants). This study seeks to demonstrate that Neurofeedback training, a non-invasive approach based on Learning Theory, will mitigate presenting symptoms of Autism, and ultimately render the person with Autism significantly more able to interact with his/her environment successfully, independently function on a day-to-day basis, and improve overall mental health.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The specific objective is to demonstrate quantitative and qualitative improvements in functional and behavioral parameters in individuals affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders when 60 Neurofeedback training sessions are applied. The long term objectives for these individuals include improvement of quality of daily functioning, better ability to integrate and navigate within society, and overall to decrease the limitations caused by the disability. Additionally, increasing awareness by the public, as well as healthcare providers and legislation, that Neurofeedback is a viable intervention which may contribute not only to a significant reduction of the level of disability for affected individuals, but also in reducing required lifetime costs of healthcare. Hopefully in the future Neurofeedback training would be incorporated as a standard of care for ASD. As of today, there are around 1000 trained Neurofeedback practitioners in the US who are offering this intervention to a very limited number of individuals due to lack of recognition of NFB benefits.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

30

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

    • North Carolina
      • Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, 27607
        • Institute for Personal Excellence, P.A.
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Magdalena M. Gebska-Wojdynska, M.D.
      • Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, 27612
        • Life Quality Resources
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Lucy Chartier, Ph.D., NP

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

Ages Eligible for Study

6 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 6 to 18 year olds who have been diagnosed by their physician with mild to moderate autism, in accordance with DSM-IV diagnostic criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any child with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, Tourette's Syndrome, an uncontrolled seizure disorder, or a history of any major psychiatric disorder will be excluded from eligibility for the study.

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
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Level of normalization of brainwaves based upon QEEG
Time Frame: Pre - training, 20 and 40 Session Interims, and post-training
After completion of all neurofeedback sessions, post-training evaluation will include cognitive testing, completion of ASRS and ATEC forms and a post-QEEG. Interviews with parents will also be conducted to identify progress and changes in symptom presentation.
Pre - training, 20 and 40 Session Interims, and post-training

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Magdalena M Gebska-Wojdynska, M.D., Institute for Personal Excellence, P.A.
  • Principal Investigator: Lucy Chartier, Ph.D., NP, Life Quality Resources

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.

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

July 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

June 1, 2016

Study Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 29, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 30, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

July 1, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 5, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 3, 2010

Last Verified

October 1, 2010

More Information

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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