Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Irritability in Adolescents With High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

November 15, 2023 updated by: Yale University
In addition to the core symptoms, children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit disruptive behavior problems including irritability, tantrums, noncompliance, and aggression. This is a pilot study of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, also known as Anger Control Training, in adolescents with high-functioning ASD. CBT teaches children to recognize antecedents and consequences of problem behavior and to use emotion regulation and problem-solving skills to reduce irritability, aggression and noncompliance. This form of CBT has been well-studied in typically developing children with disruptive behavior and we are investigating if this treatment can be feasible and helpful, with appropriate modifications, for irritability and disruptive behavior in ASD.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

9

Phase

  • 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
    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06520
        • Yale Child Study Center

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

9 years to 16 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, or PDD-NOS
  • presence of disruptive behaviors such as irritability and anger outbursts
  • IQ above 80
  • Unmedicated or on stable medication

Exclusion Criteria:

  • medical or psychiatric condition that would require alternative 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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cognitive behavior therapy
Behavioral: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Irritability
CBT is an individually administered behavioral interventions aimed at reducing irritability and disruptive behavior. There are 10 to 12 weekly sessions that are conducted with the child and the parent. During these sessions children are taught to recognize antecedents and consequences of problem behavior and to use emotion regulation and problem-solving skills to reduce irritability, aggression and noncompliance.
Other Names:
  • Anger Control Training

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
ABC Irritability Scale
Time Frame: 1 week
Parent rating of irritability and disruptive behavior that has been often used in studies with children with ASD
1 week

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Yale University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Denis Sukhodolsky, Ph.D., Yale University, Child Study Center

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

May 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 23, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

April 23, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 27, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 27, 2012

First Posted (Estimated)

June 29, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

November 16, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 15, 2023

Last Verified

November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 0102012121-B

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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