Clinical Research Directory

Speech Therapy and Parenting for Early Socio-communicAtive sKills

Every year, millions of children are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disabilities. This term covers a wide range of conditions, from genetic syndromes to brain injuries such as cerebral palsy. Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities often struggle in multiple areas, including language development. While standard speech therapy mainly focuses on understanding and producing words, these children may also have difficulties with the social and communicative skills needed for language. The parent-child relationship is especially important for helping kids develop in their early years. This clinical trial aims to find out if an intervention focused on early social and communication skills, and involving parents, can help children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The study includes children aged 6 months to 5 years. It seeks to answer two key questions: * Does this intervention improve social and communication skills better than standard speech therapy? * Does this intervention affect how parents interact with their child? To find the answers, the study will compare two groups: one group will get the parent-involved intervention that focuses on early communication skills, while the other group will get standard speech therapy. In the first intervention, therapists will guide parents in observing and supporting their child's social and communication behaviors during various activities like playtime and snack time. In contrast, the standard speech therapy will focus on traditional goals, such as improving the child's ability to vocalize, understand, and use words, without involving parents. Both interventions will follow the same schedule-eight weekly sessions, each lasting 45 minutes, over two months. Before and after the interventions, the children and parents will: * Have an assessment of the child's language, social, and communication development. * Participate in a 10-minute video recording of parent-child playtime, which will be used to study parenting behavior.

Diagnostic Odyssey: Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)

The goal of this collaborative research is to study human genomes in children with suspected congenital disease, multiple-congenital anomalies and/or multi-organ disease of unknown etiology by understanding the potential value of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in establishing genetic diagnosis. The study will examine diagnosis rates, changes in clinical care as a result of a genetic diagnosis, health economics including potential cost-effectiveness of WGS and patient and provider experience with genomic medicine.

Application of a Systematic Developmental Assessment to a Novel Population: Infants With Rare Genetic Disorders

The main objective of this study is to apply a well-established model of developmental surveillance (which evolved to characterize the outcomes of very low birth weight infants) to infants with genetic disorders. A novel clinical model for infants with rare genetic disorders has been created as a joint initiative between the Division of Newborn Medicine's NICU Growth and Developmental Support Programs (NICU GraDS) program and the Division of Genetics at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH). This study plans to enroll patients with genetic syndromes seen in this clinic into a prospective, longitudinal study in order to characterize their developmental profiles and needs.

Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing Study

Rapid Whole Genome Sequencing (rWGS) has proven to provide much faster diagnoses than traditional clinical testing, including clinical Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) and standard Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). This collaborative study seeks to provide rWGS as a research test to additional pediatric hospitals nationwide to assist in the rapid diagnosis of acutely ill children suspected of a genetic condition. The study will examine diagnosis rates, changes in clinical care as a result of a genetic diagnosis, and health economics including potential cost-effectiveness of rWGS. This study will also serve as a biorepository for future research on samples and data generated from genomic sequencing.