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Completed Phase 3 Interventional Results available

Treatment of Encopresis in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03197922

Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03197922. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.

ClinicalTrials.gov public records Last synced Sep 6, 2026, 11:40 PM EDT

Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.

Official title

A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Treatment of Encopresis in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Brief summary

Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.

This study is comparing a multidisciplinary intervention for encopresis (MIE), consisting of both medical and behavioral components to treatment as usual control (TAU). Participants are first screened by a pediatric gastroenterologist and assessed and treated for any constipation or other potential medical complications. Following this, caregivers collect data on bowel movements and continence during a home baseline lasting no less than 14 days and no more than 21 days. Participants randomly assigned to treatment as usual or the treatment group, and begin attending daily appointments in clinic for 2 weeks. At appointments, the behavior team implements structured sits on the toilet to promote independent bowel movements (BMs). If an independent BM does not occur, the study team will administer a suppository to promote rapid release of the bowels and prompt the child to remain on the toilet following administration. In doing so, continent bowel movements are predictably evoked while the child is on the toilet, allowing for reinforcement with praise and preferred toys/activities. Eventually, suppositories are gradually decreased until the child is having BMs independently. Caregivers are trained to continue implementing the intervention following the clinic-based portion. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate MIE using a large randomized clinical trial (RCT), addressing the Department of Defense Autism Research Program, Area of Interest of Therapies to Alleviate Conditions Co-Occurring with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The researchers will recruit 112 children diagnosed with ASD, randomizing them to two weeks of MIE, or treatment as usual (TAU) consisting of behavioral consultation and medical intervention. This study will evaluate MIE compared to TAU and determine the optimal treatment length.

Study identification

NCT ID
NCT03197922
Recruitment status
Completed
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 3
Lead sponsor
Emory University
Other
Enrollment
117 participants

Conditions and interventions

Interventions

Behavioral · Drug · Combination Product

Eligibility (public fields only)

Age range
5 Years to 12 Years
Sex
All
Healthy volunteers
Healthy volunteers not accepted

This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.

Study timeline

Start date
Oct 24, 2017
Primary completion
Nov 16, 2022
Completion
Nov 16, 2022
Last update posted
Jan 30, 2024

2017 – 2022

United States locations

U.S. sites
1
U.S. states
1
U.S. cities
1
Facility City State ZIP Site status
Marcus Autism Center Atlanta Georgia 30329

Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.

About this trial record page

What this page shows
Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03197922, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
What this page does not do
No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
Where the data comes from
Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
Last refresh
Last update posted Jan 30, 2024 · Synced Sep 6, 2026

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Open the official record

The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT03197922 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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