NCT07812870Recruiting
Behavioral Activation for Treatment of Depression in Autistic Adolescents With Below Average Intelligence
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 10 Sept 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by differences in social communication/interaction and the presence of restricted/repetitive behaviors, with significant heterogeneity in terms of autistic features, language ability, and cognitive characteristics. About 2-3% of individuals in the United States are autistic, and most autistic individuals have co-occurring mental health conditions. Autistic people are 3-4 times more likely to experience depression than non-autistic people. Of the emerging depression treatment research with autistic people, none to date has focused on developing and testing a depression treatment for autistic youth with below average cognitive abilities - a group which comprises over 50% of the autistic community. Therefore, this study seeks to evaluate the feasibility (Aim 1), acceptability (Aim 2), and preliminary treatment effects (Aim 3) of an extension of Behavioral Activation for Depression in Autistic Adolescents (BA-A), adapted to meet the needs of cognitively lower functioning autistic youth.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 18 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 31 Aug 2026
- Start date
- 10 Aug 2026
- Primary completion date
- Sept 2027
- Lead sponsor
- Stony Brook University
- Diseases
- Autism
- NCT number
- NCT07812870
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 18
- From 10 Aug 2026 to the primary completion date, Sept 2027
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Who the study is looking for
- 12-17 years old
- Autism diagnosis
- Symptoms of depression (more specifically, Children's Depression Inventory, Second Edition parent-report and/or self-report T-score ⩾ 65)
- IQ 60-84
- Stable on medications for mood, anxiety, and/or behavior for 3 months
- Participation of same parent(s) in all therapy sessions and assessment visits Exclusion Criteria
- Participation in another psychotherapy during the study period
- Imminent risk of harm to self and/or others
- Bipolar disorder, a personality disorder, and/or schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder
Age in the registry: 12 years to 17 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stony Brook University Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Stony Brook | United States | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.