Clinical Research Directory

Adapting the Sensory Environment to Reduce Stress in Children With Autism During Dental Visits

This study aims to evaluate the impact of a sensory-adapted dental environment (SADE) on the stress levels and behavioral responses of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during dental visits. Children with ASD often experience sensory sensitivities, making traditional dental care challenging and stressful. In this study, 40 children aged 8 to 12 diagnosed with ASD, along with their parents or legal guardians, will participate in two standard dental visits spaced 30 days apart. The first visit will take place under standard clinical conditions, while the second visit will utilize a sensory-adapted dental environment featuring modified visual elements (such as dark protective glasses), auditory (noise-canceling headphones or relaxing music), taste (unflavored toothpaste), smell (sweet orange essential oil) and tactile adjustments (a weighted blanket). The study will measure stress using objective tools, including continuous digital biomarkers of stress recorded via wristbands (such as heart rate, electrodermal activity, accelerometer data, actigraphy, movement intensity, step count, metabolic equivalent of task, skin temperature, and peripheral body orientation) and the analysis of salivary lysozyme and cortisol levels in both children and parents. Additionally, standardized psychological questionnaires will be used to assess the child's sensory profile, as well as parental stress and coping strategies. The findings will help determine whether modifying the sensory environment can effectively reduce anxiety and improve the dental care experience for children with autism.

Perinatal Autism Genetics and Epigenetics Study

The University of Iowa's Center for Disabilities and Development is researching how pregnancy, early childhood experiences, and genetic factors influence child development, with a focus on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Pregnant women are invited to participate in a study that tracks their pregnancy and child's early development, through simple, at-home activities using a cell phone. Participants complete short questionnaires, join an online interview, and videotape their baby's play after birth. They are also sent a kit to swab their baby's mouth to collect cheek cells for genetic testing. The study will explore whether stress and early social experience lead to genetic changes associated with autism or other developmental conditions.

CFT Guided Self-help Intervention: Parents of Autistic Children

This research will aim to test how practical, achievable and effective a brief, guided, self-help compassion focused intervention is for parents of autistic children aged 6-17 years old. The demands of parenting can be rewarding but also challenging, and it is known that parents of autistic children experience additional pressures. As a result of this, parents of autistic children may be more likely to experience increased stress, anxiety, low mood and lower quality of life, compared to those parenting children who are not autistic. There has been only a small amount of research so far regarding whether interventions that focus on building compassion, would be beneficial to parents of autistic children. The purpose of this study is to test whether a short, self-guided compassion-focused intervention is practical, achievable and effective for parents of autistic children. The intervention is based on Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and involves reading workbook material and listening to audio tracks. There will also be some questionnaires to complete and 30-minute weekly support calls with the lead researcher. This intervention was adapted previously, from an intervention for parents in general, to be more suitable and focused on the needs of parents of autistic children. This study will be the first time the adapted intervention has been used by parents. The intervention will be tested by 6-8 parents and will be about 13 weeks long. We will collect some demographic data at the start of the study, and there will be the opportunity to complete an evaluation questionnaire.