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JASPER Early Intervention for Tuberous Sclerosis

Study Purpose

The investigators are running an intervention study for young children with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC). The study will include free play-based behavioral intervention administered remotely that may improve social and communication skills in children with TSC. Eligible families will have a child in the age range of 12-36 months, with a diagnosis of TSC. Children with TSC below 12 months may be eligible for an early markers study prior to enrollment in the intervention trial. The intervention will focus on teaching caregivers skills to improve the social and communication outcomes of their children. The content of the intervention will be individually tailored to the child's developmental level. The intervention involves 4 on-site assessment visits, and 12 weekly intervention sessions, administered in-person and remotely. The intervention focuses on improving social-communication and play skills.

Recruitment Criteria

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Healthy volunteers are participants who do not have a disease or condition, or related conditions or symptoms

No
Study Type

An interventional clinical study is where participants are assigned to receive one or more interventions (or no intervention) so that researchers can evaluate the effects of the interventions on biomedical or health-related outcomes.


An observational clinical study is where participants identified as belonging to study groups are assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.


Searching Both is inclusive of interventional and observational studies.

Interventional
Eligible Ages 6 Months - 40 Months
Gender All
More Inclusion & Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • - A confirmed diagnosis of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • - A mental age less than 6 months.
A plan for epilepsy surgery during the study participation period.

Trial Details

Trial ID:

This trial id was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, providing information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants with locations in all 50 States and in 196 countries.

NCT03422367
Phase

Phase 1: Studies that emphasize safety and how the drug is metabolized and excreted in humans.

Phase 2: Studies that gather preliminary data on effectiveness (whether the drug works in people who have a certain disease or condition) and additional safety data.

Phase 3: Studies that gather more information about safety and effectiveness by studying different populations and different dosages and by using the drug in combination with other drugs.

Phase 4: Studies occurring after FDA has approved a drug for marketing, efficacy, or optimal use.

N/A
Lead Sponsor

The sponsor is the organization or person who oversees the clinical study and is responsible for analyzing the study data.

University of California, Los Angeles
Principal Investigator

The person who is responsible for the scientific and technical direction of the entire clinical study.

Shafali Jeste
Principal Investigator Affiliation University of California, Los Angeles
Agency Class

Category of organization(s) involved as sponsor (and collaborator) supporting the trial.

Other, NIH
Overall Status Recruiting
Countries United States
Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied.

Tuberous Sclerosis
Study Website: View Trial Website
Additional Details

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in either the TSC1 or TSC2 genes. The genetic variation results in the growth of non-malignant tumors throughout the body. Neurodevelopmental disorders, including global developmental delay, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are very common in children with TSC, although developmental outcomes can vary widely. Study investigators, over the past several years, has been studying infants and young children with TSC, and investigators have found that developmental delays can be identified in the first year of life, and that these delays and differences can predict a diagnosis of ASD. Currently, there is no specific treatment for the neurodevelopmental disorders associated with TSC. Based on this information, researchers now want to know if early intervention can help to improve development and prevent ASD in children with TSC. Investigators are studying the effects of early behavioral intervention on developmental outcomes in infants and toddlers with TSC. The study focuses on social-communication skills, as these are tightly linked to the development of ASD. The overarching goal of this research is to improve outcomes in infants with TSC by conducting rigorous, innovative research in treatment, using both brain and behavioral measures to study the effects of treatment. Participation requires four on-site assessment visits at UCLA or Boston Children's Hospital, and 12 weekly behavioral intervention sessions, administered in-person and remotely. Because this behavioral intervention is parent-mediated, a parent must be available to attend these sessions. Behavioral assessments generally take up to 4 hours to complete. This study also uses research EEG. This non-invasive assessment generally takes 30-45 minutes to complete. After the participant's first assessment, he/she will be randomly assigned to receive treatment either immediately or in 6 months, with behavioral assessments throughout. Participants will be involved in the study for a duration of 15-21 months, depending on randomization. There are no anticipated risks from this study, although it is possible that the participant may react negatively to some of the assessment measures or intervention sessions. For example, at the most extreme, the participant may be fearful of an age-appropriate toy and may cry or physically pull back from the toy. If this should occur, that particular toy presentation, assessment or intervention will be stopped. Sometimes the EEG net can feel uncomfortable, especially if children do not like wearing hats or having anything touch their heads. Because of this, the study team will provide families with the demonstration ("practice") net to use with the participant before his/her session. At any time during the session if the participant becomes too upset or agitated, researchers will stop the session. Loss of confidentiality is a risk of participating in this research study. As described below, researchers will take every measure to keep participation in this research study confidential. Participants may benefit from the intervention by receiving detailed information about your child's cognitive, language, and communication skills both before the intervention begins and after the intervention is completed. Participants also may benefit from the intervention itself, which is aimed at improving social communication skills in infants and toddlers at high risk for neurodevelopmental disorders. Families will receive written feedback on the participants's performance on the behavioral assessments administered during assessment time point 4. These assessments are used for research purposes and therefore are not comprehensive clinical evaluations. Some of the assessments administered will measure social communication skills relevant to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and the feedback letter will report whether the assessment indicated the possible presence of ASD. The results of the research may also contribute to the broader TSC and autism fields by enhancing the knowledge of the effects of early intervention on social communication skills in TSC. Benefits that participating children may derive from the intervention may lead to greater benefits for all children with autism and/or TSC.

Arms & Interventions

Arms

Experimental: Treatment Group

The Treatment Group begins the JASPER intervention immediately upon enrollment in the study.

Active Comparator: Delayed Treatment Group

The Delayed treatment group receives the same JASPER intervention as the Treatment Group, but after 6 months of receiving services in the community as usual.

No Intervention: Control

Participants who are unable to complete JASPER due to age or time/distance commitment can enroll for single-time point participation

Interventions

Behavioral: - JASPER

JASPER (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation) is a treatment approach based on a combination of developmental and behavioral principles developed by Dr. Connie Kasari and Dr. Amanda Gulsrud at UCLA. It targets the foundations of social communication (joint attention, imitation, play) and uses naturalistic strategies to increase the rate and complexity of social communication.

Contact a Trial Team

If you are interested in learning more about this trial, find the trial site nearest to your location and contact the site coordinator via email or phone. We also strongly recommend that you consult with your healthcare provider about the trials that may interest you and refer to our terms of service below.

University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Status

Recruiting

Address

University of California Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, 90065

Site Contact

Carly Hyde, BS

chyde@mednet.ucla.edu

310-825-8738

Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Status

Recruiting

Address

Boston Children's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215

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