NCT03690661

Using Serious Games to Improve Social Skills in Autism

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 43 (actual)
• Sponsor: Penn State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 10 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The investigators will conduct a small-scale randomized control trial comparing the intervention game to an active control game, and will assess outcomes at multiple time points (pre-, post-, 6-month follow-up). These outcomes will include a wide range of behaviors that are measured along a continuum from controlled lab-based tasks to uncontrolled, real-world social interactions between dyads.

Detailed description

The investigators will conduct a small-scale randomized control trial comparing the intervention game to an placebo control game, and will assess outcomes at multiple time points (pre-, post-, 6-month follow-up). These outcomes will include a wide range of behaviors that are measured along a continuum from controlled lab-based tasks to real-world social interactions between dyads. The aims are evaluating 1) changes in the target mechanisms (social attention to faces, sensitivity to eye gaze cues) for the intervention relative to active control group, 2) engagement of intermediate mechanisms, including face-processing behaviors and real-world social communication behaviors, and 3) the relation between engagement of the target and intermediate mechanisms and symptom outcomes. Evidence of changes in autism social symptoms resulting from changing visual attention to faces and/or improved ability to understand eye gaze cues will provide clear evidence to inform a "go" decision about the therapeutic target for further clinical development.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autism

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Intervention Video Game	The intervention game employs evidence-based "serious game" mechanics (e.g., storylines, long-term goals, scaling difficulty) to design a learning environment that maximizes opportunities for adolescents with ASD to discover the functional utility of eye gaze cues.
BEHAVIORAL	Placebo Control Game	The placebo game will have all the elements of the serious game mechanics of the intervention game (narrative storylines, long-term goals, scaling difficulty), but will not provide the learning opportunities regarding eye gaze cues.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-12-01
• Primary completion: 2024-01-31
• Completion: 2024-01-31
• First posted: 2018-10-01
• Last updated: 2024-10-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States