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Modified Atkins DietPhase 2/3NCT06315465

Efficacy of MAD as add-on Therapy in Comparison With Standard of Care in Children With ASD

A Phase 2/3 study of Modified Atkins Diet and Autism Spectrum Disorder, run by All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

In general ketogenic diet is a recognized as an efficient non pharmacological treatment for children with refractory epilepsy. However, in the last decade, it has been tried for many neurological disorders in children including ASD, neurodegenerative disorders. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 3 to 8 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
80 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
20 Mar 2024to 1 Jan 2026
Phase
Phase 2/3
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 3 to 8 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • 1. Children aged 3 to 8 years diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder according to DSM -V criteria

Who cannot join

  • Diagnosed genetic and metabolic syndromes
  • Pre-existing food fads
  • Associated seizure disorder/epilepsy syndrome
  • Chronic systemic illness
  • Received any form of dietary therapy in the previous 6 months
  • Not on stable standard of care therapy or changes in antipsychotic medications over the last 1 month
  • Refusal of consent

Trial locations and contacts

No sites are listed yet.

Sheffali Gulati, MD contact

01126594679

sheffaligulati@gmail.com

Sheffali Gulati, MD contact

9810386847

sheffaligulati1@gmail.com

About this study

Official title: Efficacy of Modified Atkin's Diet as add-on Therapy in Comparison With Standard of Care in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder A Randomized Controlled Trial

In general ketogenic diet is a recognized as an efficient non pharmacological treatment for children with refractory epilepsy. However, in the last decade, it has been tried for many neurological disorders in children including ASD, neurodegenerative disorders.

Studies have shown that KD also helps in improvement of cognition, social skills, language function, and stereotypies. There is a limited number of reports of improvements after KD treatment, was insufficient evidence to attest the practicability of the KD as a treatment for ASD, but it is still a good indicator that this diet is a promising therapeutic option for this disorder. There are no major RCT's, hence raises concerns about the reliability and generalizability of findings. Majority of studies have used combined ketogenic diet therapy rather than single diet therapy and not many studies have compared add-on dietary intervention with standard of care. When compared to classic KD diet Modified Atkin's Diet is less restrictive, more palatable, more feasible and early response can be achieved. In summary, the rationale for conducting this study lies in the importance of add on dietary therapy in form of Modified Atkin's Diet along with standard of care for improvement of behavioral symptoms in children with ASD aged 3-8 years.

This study aims to provide valuable insights that it can improve behavioral symptoms in ASD, early and ultimately improve the developmental outcomes in these children.

Read the detailed description
  • All the children presenting to Paediatrics OPD and Autism clinic in the Child Neurology division will be screened and those fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be enrolled into the study
  • Informed consent will be taken from parents for the study
  • Baseline demographic details and following evaluation will be done -
  1. Autism severity assessment using CARS -2, ABC
  2. Neurocognitive assessment using (DQ/IQ/SQ) -VSMS
  3. Behavioral assessment using CBCL
  4. Sleep related issues using CSHQ After initial assessment children are randomized into Group I and Group II using computer generated random numbers.

Group I-Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care arm

  • Group I will receive Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care whereas Group II will receive standard of care alone.
  • Children randomized into Group I, initial workup for Modified Atkin's Diet will be done in the form of Electrocardiogram, Renal Function Tests, Liver Function Tests, Complete Blood Counts, Lipid profile, Urine calcium creatinine ratio and Ultrasound Pelvis for nephrocalcinosis. If pre KD work up is normal, then Modified Atkin's Diet will be initiated in the ratio of 1:1.
  • Urine ketones will be checked daily using ketone dipsticks
  • Telephonic contacts will be made in regular intervals every week to further ensure compliance at home, and to ensure proper understanding and confidence of parents
  • Those children who are unable to tolerate taking adequate ketogenic diet therapy requiring discontinuation of therapy, will be considered as deviates
  • First follow-up will be at 4 weeks of treatment initiation, followed by at 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks
  • Compliance rate and adverse events will also be calculated from patient diary/log
  • Those children who are unable to tolerate taking adequate ketogenic diet therapy requiring discontinuation of therapy, will be considered as deviates
  • First follow-up will be at 4 weeks of treatment initiation, followed by at 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks
  • Compliance rate and adverse events will also be calculated from patient diary/log
  • Every alternate subject from each category, pre - intervention f MRI and 3 months post intervention f MRI is done (total 10 subjects) Group II -Standard of care arm
  • Standard of care intervention plan will be devised for each subject based on the principles of -
  • Behavioral therapy
  1. Behavioral modification techniques
  2. Psycho education
  3. Cognitive behavioral therapy
  4. Activity based interventions like eye contact exercises, attention enhancement exercises, self-help skills
  5. Speech therapy
  6. Parental training
  • Occupational therapy
  • Sensory integration therapy
  • Pharmacotherapy - Anti-psychotic medications
  • The parents of the children will be called telephonically every weekly to check for any issues and reinforcement to ensure appropriate regular behavioural intervention to be provided to the child.
  • Physical follow up - 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks
  • Follow up assessments - 12 weeks (3 months) \& 24 weeks (6 months)

Functional MRI acquisition Every 4th subject from each group who provide consent for doing a f-MRI, will undergo a pre-intervention f-MRI and post-intervention f-MRI at 3 months follow-up (10 subjects in each arm, i.e. 20 subjects) These investigations would be done free of cost for the patients. The data will be compared with fMRI data of controls (retrospective data of children with dyslexia who received AI enabled-remedial intervention alone (for 6 weeks) as a part of a previous study by Dr Sayoni Roy Chowdhary, under the guidance of Prof Sheffali Gulati as Chief guide, after ethical clearance). The data will also be compared with the historical data of typical readers, acquired using the same f-MRI protocol at our center

Being tested
Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care, Standard of Care
Keywords
Modified Atkin's Diet, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Standard of care
Medical subject headings
Autism Spectrum Disorder

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of careDietary supplement

    children who have given their consent and are randomized into Group I arm receives Modified Atkins Diet along with standard of care after completion of baseline investigations. Modified Atkin's Diet will be started in ratio of 1:1 and compliance is monitored by urine ketones. Followup will be done telephonically to check for compliance , adverse events at every 4 week intervals till 24 weeks.

  • Standard of CareOther

    Standard of care intervention plan will be devised for each subject which includes Behavioral therapy , Psychoeducation, Activity based interventions like attention enhancement exercises, self help skills, Occupational therapy, Pharmacotherapy, Sensory integration therapy. The parents of the children will be called telephonically every weekly to check for any issues and reinforcement to ensure appropriate regular behavioral intervention to be provided to the child. Physical follow up will be done every 4 weekly till 24 weeks.

Study groups in NCT06315465
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Modified Atkin's diet with standard of care armExperimentalGroup I will receive Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care whereas Group II will receive standard of care alone. Children randomized into Group I, initial workup for Modified Atkin's Diet will be done in the form of Electrocardiogram, Renal Function Tests, Liver Function Tests, Complete Blood Counts, Lipid profile, Urine calcium creatinine ratio and Ultrasound Pelvis for nephrocalcinosis. If pre KD work up is normal, then Modified Atkin's Diet will be initiated in the ratio of 1:1.Urine ketones will be checked daily using ketone dipsticks. Telephonic contacts will be made in regular intervals every week to further ensure compliance at home, and to ensure proper understanding and confidence of parents. Those children who are unable to tolerate taking adequate ketogenic diet therapy requiring discontinuation of therapy, will be considered as deviates. First follow-up will be at 4 weeks of treatment initiation, followed by at 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks.
Receives: Dietary Supplement: Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care; Other: Standard of Care
Standard of care armOther* Standard of care intervention plan will be devised for each subject based on the principles of - * Behavioral therapy 1. Behavioral modification techniques 2. Psycho education 3. Cognitive behavioral therapy 4. Activity based interventions like eye contact exercises, attention enhancement exercises, self-help skills 5. Speech therapy 6. Parental training * Occupational therapy * Sensory integration therapy * Pharmacotherapy - Anti-psychotic medications * The parents of the children will be called telephonically every weekly to check for any issues and reinforcement to ensure appropriate regular behavioural intervention to be provided to the child. * Physical follow up - 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 weeks * Follow up assessments - 12 weeks (3 months) \& 24 weeks (6 months)
Receives: Other: Standard of Care

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. To evaluate the efficacy of add-on Modified Atkin's Diet therapy with standard of care as compared to standard of care alone in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder aged 3-8 years

    Proportion of children with minimum significant reduction of Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2) score (defined by ≥ 4.5 reduction) in both arms. Childhood Autism Rating Scale is an evaluation tool used for identifying autism and determining the severity of autism spectrum disorder. It can be used in children 2 years and older with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It contains total 15 domains and each domain have score from 0-4. Total score 15 to 60 and total score of less than 30 indicates non autism, 30-36.5 indicates mild to moderate autism, 37-60 is considered as severe autism

    Measured: 3 months

Secondary outcomes (9)
  1. To evaluate the efficacy of add-on Modified Atkin's Diet therapy with standard of care as compared to standard of care alone in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder aged 3-8 years

    Proportion of children with minimum significant reduction of Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2) score (defined by ≥ 4.5 reduction) in both arms. Childhood Autism Rating Scale is an evaluation tool used for identifying autism and determining the severity of autism spectrum disorder. It can be used in children 2 years and older with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It contains total 15 domains and each domain have score from 0-4. Total score 15 to 60 and total score of less than 30 indicates non autism, 30-36.5 indicates mild to moderate autism, 37-60 is considered as severe autism

    Measured: 6 months

  2. To compare the change in the cognitive ability as measured by Developmental Quotient(DQ)in children receiving Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care vs standard of care alone in children with Autism Spectrum disorder aged 3-8 years.

    Developmental Quotient is assessed in both arms pre and post diet therapy using Developmental profile -3 (DP-3).It utilizes input from parents or caregivers to provide scores in five areas of development: physical, adaptive behavior, social emotional , cognitive, and communication. It provide five scales each with 34 to 38 items, designed to assess the development and functioning of children from birth through age12. Scores less than 70 is considered delayed, 70-84 is considered below average,85-115 is considered average, 116-130 is considered above average and more than 130 is considered well above average.

    Measured: 6 months

  3. To compare the change in the cognitive ability as measured by Social Quotient(SQ)in children receiving Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care vs standard of care alone in children with Autism Spectrum disorder aged 3-8 years.

    Social Quotient (SQ) is assessed in both arms pre and post therapy using Vineland Social Maturity Scale. It is generally used to determine three related but different aspects, which is 1)social and adaptive functions,2)level of disability, 3) intelligence. It contains 89 items in 8 domains and assess from 0 to 15 years. Scores of less than 70 is considered as intellectual disability, 70-79 as borderline impaired or delayed, 80-89 is considered as low average, 90-109 is considered as average,110-119 is considered as high average.

    Measured: 6 months

  4. To compare the change in the cognitive ability as measured by Intelligence Quotient(IQ)in children receiving Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care vs standard of care alone in children with Autism Spectrum disorder aged 3-8 years.

    Intelligence Quotient (IQ)is assessed in both arms pre and post therapy using Malins Intelligence Scale for Indian children (MISC). It includes both verbal and performance scales. Total 11 subtests are used of which 6 are verbal tests and 5 are performance tests. This test yields three scores: verbal IQ, performance IQ, and full scale IQ scores. Scores of less than 70 is considered as Intellectual disability, 70-79 as borderline impaired or delayed, 80-89 is considered as low average, 90-109 is considered as average,110-119 is considered as high average.

    Measured: 6 months

  5. To compare the quantitative reduction in behavioral problems using Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in children receiving Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care vs standard of care alone in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder aged 3-8 years.

    Behavior problems like inattention, hyperactivity, aggression are assessed pre and post therapy in both arms using Child Behavior Checklist. This checklist can assess behavior in the following profiles: Anxious/depressed, withdrawn, sleep problems, somatic problems, aggressive behavior, or destructive behavior. Based on these three scores are generated, Total score, Externalizing problem scale , and Internalizing problem scale. Any score that falls below the 93rd percentile is considered normal, scores between the 93-97th percentile are borderline clinical, and any score above the 97th percentile are in the clinical range.

    Measured: 6 months

  6. To compare the change in sleep related problems using Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ)children receiving Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care vs standard of care alone in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder age

    The CSHQ is a parent-rated questionnaire comprised of 45 items; 33 scored questions, and 7 additional items intended to provide other relevant information pertaining to sleep behavior (e.g., nocturnal body pains) Each scored question is rated on a 3-point scale as occurring "usually" (i.e., 5-7 times within the past week), "sometimes" (i.e., 2-4 times within the past week), or "rarely" (i.e., never or 1 time within the past week).A number of items on the questionnaire are reverse-scored, so that higher scores consistently indicate problem behaviors. Ratings are combined to form eight subscales: Bedtime Resistance, Sleep Onset Delay, Sleep Duration, Sleep Anxiety, Night wakings, Parasomnias, Sleep Disordered Breathing, and Daytime Sleepiness. A Total Sleep Disturbances score is calculated as the sum of all CSHQ scored questions, and can range from 33 to 99

    Measured: 6 months

  7. To compare the resting state fMRI findings in a subset of patients in the two arms

    To observe the changes in resting state functional MRI in both arms (pre and post therapy) at 6 months

    Measured: 6 months

  8. To assess the compliance in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder receiving add-on Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care

    compliance will be monitored using Compliance diary

    Measured: 6 months

  9. To assess the adverse effect profile in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder receiving add-on Modified Atkin's Diet with standard of care

    adverse effects will be checked by Patient diet log

    Measured: 6 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted18 Mar 2024
  2. Study start20 Mar 2024 (estimated)
  3. Primary completion1 Jan 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion1 Jan 2026 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2/3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Open Label Randomized Controlled Trial
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
80 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06315465
Sponsor's protocol ID
AIIMSA00647
Status last verified
Mar 2024
First submitted
29 Feb 2024
Last updated
18 Mar 2024
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2/3 study of Modified Atkins Diet and Autism Spectrum Disorder, run by All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Mar 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this combined phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Sheffali Gulati, MD (01126594679, sheffaligulati@gmail.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

To evaluate the efficacy of add-on Modified Atkin's Diet therapy with standard of care as compared to standard of care alone in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder aged 3-8 years (time frame: 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Mar 2024.

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