A Phase 2 interventional study of Lief Smart Patch in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Anxiety, sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 12 Years to 17 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-16.
Sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) is a breathing-based intervention that reduces anxiety in a range of populations. Second-generation wearable HRVB devices not only deliver scheduled biofeedback practice sessions but also allow patients to practice HRVB in-the-moment when it is needed most. This study is testing the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of second-generation, ambulatory HRVB for the treatment of anxiety in autistic youth.
Fifty youth with autism and clinically significant anxiety will be recruited to participate in a single-arm, 8-week open-label, fully remote trial of HRVB. Participants will utilize the Lief Smart Patch which delivers HRVB training and practice through an embedded ECG monitor, accelerometer, and companion smartphone app. Specific aims of the research include: 1) Determine the acceptability and feasibility of second generation HRVB in autistic youth; and 2) Evaluate the preliminary efficacy of HRVB for the treatment of anxiety in autistic youth.
1,724 studies on the registry are indexed under Autism Spectrum Disorder; 500 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 50 is close to the median of 52 across 1,368 interventional studies indexed under Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Browse Autism Spectrum Disorder studies →Massachusetts General Hospital is the lead sponsor of 2,586 studies on the registry; 447 are open to participants now.
Of its 222 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 168 (76%) have results posted.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will be asked to practice HRVB for 5 minutes twice per day at times of their choosing throughout the 8-week trial. In addition to scheduled practice sessions, participants will be asked to respond to just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) prompts to do brief, \~2-minute bursts of HRVB when the device senses autonomic hyperarousal. Participants will be instructed to complete ≥5 minutes per day of JITAI-delivered HRVB, self-initiated HRVB in response to self-perceived anxiety or stress, or any combination of these two practice modes.
Device: Lief Smart Patch
The Lief Smart Patch is a commercially available, noninvasive wearable heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) device. The patch includes an embedded electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor and accelerometer that interfaces with a companion smartphone application to deliver paced breathing exercises and just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) prompts. It is an externally worn patch that temporarily adheres to the skin surface and can be removed by the participant.
Mean 8-Week Change in Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (PARS) 5-Item Total Score
The PARS, a clinician-administered measure of child anxiety symptom severity based on both patient and parent-report will be the primary outcome measure. It has demonstrated inter-rater and test-retest reliability, and has previously been used by our group as the primary outcome measure in a RCT of mirtazapine for anxiety in youth with ASD, demonstrating sensitivity to change. The 5-item PARS score will be the primary outcome measure for this trial. Scaled score ranges from 0-25 with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported
Proportion of Participants who Responded to Treatment at 8 Weeks According to the Improvement Item of the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) (Response Defined as CGI-I = 1 or 2)
The Clinical Global Impressions Global Improvement (CGI-I) is designed to take into account all factors to arrive at an assessment of response to treatment. The CGI-I scale ranges from 1 to 7 (1=very much improved; 2=much improved; 3=minimally improved; 4=no change; 5=minimally worse; 6=much worse; 7=very much worse), with lower scales indicating improvement (1=very much improved; 2=much improved). In this study, the CGI-I will be focused on the target symptom of anxiety.
Time frame: Week 4, Week 8. Week 8 score reported.
Mean 8-Week Change in Clinical Global Impression Severity Subscale (CGI-S)
The CGI-S is rated on a scale from 1 to 7, where 1 = normal, not at all ill; 3 = mildly ill; 5 = markedly ill; 7 = among the most extremely ill patients. The CGI-S will be rated based on the severity of anxiety symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported.
Mean 8-Week Change in Parent-Rated Anxiety Scale for Autism Spectrum Disorder (PRAS-ASD) Score
The PRAS-ASD is a novel parent-rated 25-item scale with demonstrated reliability and validity. Scores range from 0-75, with higher scores indicating more severe parent-rated anxiety.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported.
mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ) Standalone Apps for Patients
Mean Likert rating on the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ) Standalone Apps for Patients. The MAUQ includes 18 questions, each rated on a Likert scale of 1-7. Total scores range from 18-126, with higher scores indicating increased usability.
Time frame: Week 8
Feasibility
Proportion of enrolled youth meeting the scheduled daily practice criterion (≥50% study days with ≥5 minutes combined JITAI-delivered and self-initiated HRVB practice).
Time frame: Week 8
Mean 8-Week Change in Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC-2) Irritability Subscale Score
The ABC-2 is a 58-item questionnaire with 5 subscales derived by factor analysis. It has been extensively used in psychopharmacological studies of ASD and assesses many symptoms that are either central to autism or frequently a target of treatment. The Irritability Subscale is derived from 15 items, with a score range from 0-45, where higher scores indicate more severe irritability.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported
Mean 8-Week Change in Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC-2) Lethargy/Social Withdrawal Subscale Score
The ABC-2 is a 58-item questionnaire with 5 subscales derived by factor analysis. It has been extensively used in psychopharmacological studies of ASD and assesses many symptoms that are either central to autism or frequently a target of treatment. The Lethargy/Withdrawal Subscale is derived from 16 items, with a score range from 0-48 where higher scores indicate more severe Lethargy/Withdrawal symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported
Mean 8-Week Change in Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC-2) Stereotypic Behavior Subscale Score
The ABC-2 is a 58-item questionnaire with 5 subscales derived by factor analysis. It has been extensively used in psychopharmacological studies of ASD and assesses many symptoms that are either central to autism or frequently a target of treatment. The Stereotypic Behavior Subscale is derived from 7 items, with a score range of 0-21 where higher scores indicate more severe stereotypic behaviors.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported
Mean 8-Week Change in Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC-2) Hyperactivity Subscale Score
The ABC-2 is a 58-item questionnaire with 5 subscales derived by factor analysis. It has been extensively used in psychopharmacological studies of ASD and assesses many symptoms that are either central to autism or frequently a target of treatment. The Hyperactivity Subscale is derived from 16 items with a score range of 0-48, where severe scores indicate more severe hyperactivity symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported
Mean 8-Week Change in Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC-2) Inappropriate Speech Subscale Score
The ABC-2 is a 58-item questionnaire with 5 subscales derived by factor analysis. It has been extensively used in psychopharmacological studies of ASD and assesses many symptoms that are either central to autism or frequently a target of treatment. The Inappropriate Speech Subscale is derived from 4 items with a score range of 0-12, where higher scores indicate more severe Inappropriate Speech symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported
Mean 8-Week Change in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) Score
The ADHD-RS is an 18-question, parent-rated assessment reflecting DSM symptoms of ADHD. The score range is 0-54, with higher scores indicating more severe ADHD symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 reported
Mean 8-Week Change in Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) Total Score
The CSHQ is a 52-question parent survey used to assess sleep difficulties. 33 items are used to generate the total score, which ranges from 33-99, with a cutoff of \>41 suggesting clinically significant sleep problems. Higher scores are indicative of more severe sleep problems.
Time frame: Baseline, Week 4, Week 8; Change from Baseline to Week 8 is reported
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Oct 2026; primary completion for May 2029, 31 months later.
Of 67 non-industry phase 2 interventional studies under Autism Spectrum Disorder, half reached primary completion within 39 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 23 and three quarters within 63. This study's planned 31 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 82 studies reached it within 36 months; a quarter within 23 and three quarters within 52.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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