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Brain training for autism: can therapy rewire learning in teens?

NCT ID NCT05131659

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Children's National Research Institute Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing This study
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looks at whether a group therapy program called Unstuck & On Target can improve flexibility and learning in 64 teens with autism aged 14-18. Researchers will use brain scans (MRI) to see if the therapy changes how the brain processes new information. The goal is to understand how learning and flexibility are connected, and whether therapy can boost these skills.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Executive function group therapy (Unstuck & On Target)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that behavioral therapy can change how the brain learns and adapts in teens with autism, pointing toward more effective interventions.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study with only 64 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The therapy may not produce lasting changes in brain activity or behavior.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

64 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2021

Expected to finish

May 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

14 to 18 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. 14-18 years of age inclusive 2. Full scale IQ \> 80 on a standardized IQ test, either confirmed through educational testing within the last two years or confirmed by the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI-2) administered by research personnel. If current IQ testing (FSIQ) is not interpretable based on discrepancies between verbal and perceptual skills, we will use the best available verbal IQ estimate. 3. Broad ASD diagnosis according to Diagnostic Statistical Manual, fifth edition (DSM-5) criteria established by parent report of prior clinical diagnosis and confirmed by meeting cutoff criteria on the Social Communication Questionnaire (i.e., raw score \> 11) or the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2), Module 4 (total score ≥7). 4. Intact or corrected hearing and vision. 5. Parents/guardians speak and read English with sufficient fluency for completion of consent forms and informant questionnaires; youth participants will use/understand English as a primary or secondary language with sufficient fluency to engage effectively in executive function group therapy conducted in English, and for valid administration of neuropsychological and behavioral measures. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of a known medical condition in the participant that would interfere with his/her ability to participate in the study. 2. To preserve the integrity of the neuroimaging data, participants will be excluded if they have a history of neurological disorder, such as an established epilepsy diagnosis, significant brain trauma, hydrocephalus, central nervous system infection, or stroke. 3. Contraindications for MRI such as metal implants, dental braces, pregnancy (determined by parent or self-report).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Adolescent Behavior autism spectrum disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Adolescent behavior Autism spectrum disorder Executive dysfunction

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Children's National Hospital

    Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20010, United States

  • Georgetown University

    Washington D.C., District of Columbia, 20057, United States

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