Internet therapy could ease OCD in kids with autism
NCT ID NCT06582225
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether a therapist-guided online cognitive-behavior therapy program can help reduce obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in children and teens with autism. About 220 participants will receive the online treatment or a comparison condition. The goal is to see if this approach is effective, cost-efficient, and provides lasting relief.
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
-
About 220 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Nov 2024
- Expected to finish
-
Mar 2029
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
-
7 to 17 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 Hide 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. A diagnosis of autism, based on the diagnostic criteria of the 4th or 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). Informed by the parent/caregiver and subsequently confirmed by review of the medical record or the neurodevelopmental assessment report. A diagnosis of autism will be considered present if it was established with validated instruments, such as the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) edition 1 or 2 or the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO; autism or ASD cut-offs). 2. A DSM-5 diagnosis of OCD. Confirmed by the assessor at the inclusion assessment, based on a structured diagnostic interview. 3. A total score of ≥16 on the CY-BOCS. Confirmed by the assessor at the inclusion assessment. 4. Age between 7 and 17 years. Confirmed by the caregiver and subsequently by the medical record system. 5. Ability to read and write Swedish. Confirmed by the caregiver at the telephone screening or/and the inclusion assessment. 6. Regular access to a computer or a smartphone/tablet connected to the internet, and a mobile phone to receive text messages. Confirmed by the caregiver at the telephone screening or/and inclusion assessment. 7. A parent/caregiver able to participate in the treatment alongside their child. Confirmed by the caregiver at the telephone screening or/and the inclusion assessment. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Global intellectual disability. Informed by the parent/caregiver and subsequently confirmed by review of the medical record or the neurodevelopmental assessment report, and additionally estimated with the two subtests matrix reasoning and similarities from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - fifth edition (WISC-V) or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - fourth edition (WAIS-IV). 2. Comorbid psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, severe eating disorder, severe depression, alcohol/substance dependence or hoarding disorder. Confirmed by the caregiver at the telephone screening and subsequently by the assessor at the inclusion assessment based on the structured diagnostic interview and, if required, the medical record. 3. Current suicidal intent or a previous suicide attempt within the last 12 months. Confirmed by the assessor at the inclusion assessment and, if required, the medical record. 4. Main symptom presentation consists of hoarding symptoms. Confirmed by the assessor at the inclusion assessment. 5. Completed CBT for OCD within the last 12 months prior to the inclusion assessment (defined as at least 5 sessions of CBT including ERP). Confirmed by the caregiver at the telephone screening or/and inclusion assessment and, if required, the medical record. 6. Simultaneous psychological treatment for OCD or anxiety. Confirmed by the caregiver at the telephone screening and/or inclusion assessment. 7. Initiation, dosage change or cessation of medication for OCD (primarily selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs) or behavioural symptoms of ASD (atypical antipsychotics) within the 6 weeks prior to the baseline assessment. Confirmed by the caregiver at the telephone screening and the inclusion assessment and, if required, the medical record. 8. Having a close relationship to an already included participant (e.g., sibling, cousin), to avoid being randomised into two different arms, with the risk of information "leaking" between the groups. Confirmed by the caregiver or assessor at the telephone screening and/or at the inclusion assessment.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Autism spectrum disorder are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
BUP Specialmottagning
RECRUITINGGothenburg, Västra Götalandsregionen, 411 14, Sweden
-
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Research Center
RECRUITINGStockholm, 113 30, Sweden
-
Forskningsmottagning barn- och ungdomspsykiatri Lund
RECRUITINGLund, Skåne County, 222 41, Sweden
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Reading the Brain's signals to predict who benefits from deep brain stimulation
- Can wireless monitors make ER vitals easier for autistic children?
- Why do some children with autism struggle with balance?
- Brain scans and biosamples: mapping why OCD looks so different in every person
- Brain zaps tested to calm emotional storms in autism
- Can an AI chatbot help autism caregivers find their way?