Improving sensitivity to eye gaze cues in adolescents on the autism spectrum using serious game technology: A randomized controlled trial

IntroductionAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by impairments in social communication. Core symptoms are deficits in social looking behaviours, including limitedvisual attention to facesandsensitivity to eye gaze cues.We designed an intervention game using serious game mechanics for adolescents with ASD. It is designed to train individuals with ASD to discover that the eyes, and shifts in gaze specifically, provide information about the external world. We predict that the game will increase understanding of gaze cues and attention to faces.Methods and analysisThe Social Games for Adolescents with Autism (SAGA) trial is a preliminary, randomised controlled trial comparing the intervention game with a waitlist control condition. 34 adolescents (10–18 years) with ASD with a Full-Scale IQ between 70 and 130 and a minimum second grade reading level, and their parents, will be randomly assigned (equally to intervention or the control condition) following baseline assessments. Intervention participants will be instructed to play the computer game at home on a computer for ~30 min, three times a week. All families are tested in the lab at baseline and approximately 2 months following randomisation in all measures. Primary outcomes are assessed with eye tracking to measure sensitivity to eye gaze cues and social visual attention to faces; secondary outcomes are assessed with questionnaires to measure social skills and autism-like behaviours. The analyses will focus on evaluating the feasibility, safety and preliminary effectiveness of the intervention.Ethics and disseminationSAGA is approved by the Institutional Review Board at Pennsylvania State University (00005097). Findings will be disseminated via scientific conferences and peer-reviewed journals and to participants via newsletter. The intervention game will be available to families in the control condition after the full data are collected and if analyses indicate that it is effective.Trial registration numberNCT02968225.

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Effectiveness of the serious game ‘You & I’ in changing mentalizing abilities of adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities: A parallel superiority randomized controlled trial

10.21203/rs.2.274/v2 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

S.D.M. Derks ◽

S. van Wijngaarden ◽

M. Wouda ◽

C. Schuengel ◽

P.S. Sterkenburg

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Outcome Measure ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Serious Game ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Stress Regulation ◽

Randomized Controlled

Abstract Background: Persons with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities generally show dysfunctions in mentalization and stress regulation, resulting in problematic social relationships and personal distress. Intervention programs may improve mentalizing abilities. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the serious game ‘You & I’ in changing mentalizing abilities and stress regulation in adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Methods: A two-arm, parallel, superiority randomized controlled trial will be used with 172 adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the experimental group to play the serious game ‘You & I’ or to a waitlist control group. Participants will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks after baseline), and follow-up (6 to 8 weeks after post-intervention). They also will fill in questionnaires for personal factors, personal development, personal well-being, social validity, autism spectrum quotient (demographic variables), mentalizing abilities (primary outcome measure), and stress regulation (secondary outcome measure). Discussion: The serious game ‘You & I’ aims to improve mentalizing abilities in adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities, which is expected to lead to improved regulation of stress in social relationships. The study’s unique feature is the use of a serious game to improve mentalizing abilities. If the intervention is effective, the serious game can be implemented on a broad scale in Dutch care organizations for people with intellectual disabilities as an effective preventive tool to improve mentalizing abilities.

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Effectiveness of the serious game ‘You & I’ on the mentalizing abilities of adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities: a parallel superiority randomized controlled trial

10.21203/rs.2.274/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

S.D.M. Derks ◽

S. van Wijngaarden ◽

M. Wouda ◽

C. Schuengel ◽

P.S. Sterkenburg

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Intellectual Disabilities ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Outcome Measure ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Serious Game ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Stress Regulation ◽

Randomized Controlled

Abstract Background: Persons with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities generally show dysfunctions in mentalization, including impairments in stress regulation, resulting in problematic social relationships and personal distress. Inteention programs can, however, improve mentalizing abilities. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the serious game ‘You & I’ on mentalizing abilities and stress regulation in adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Methods: A two-arm, parallel, superiority randomized controlled trial will be used with 172 adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the experimental group to play the serious game ‘You & I’ or a waitlist control group. Participants will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (5 weeks after baseline), and follow-up (6 to 8 weeks after post-intervention). They also will fill in questionnaires measuring personal factors, personal development, and personal well-being, social validity, and autism spectrum quotient (demographic variables), mentalizing abilities (primary outcome measure), and stress regulation (secondary outcome measure). Discussion: The serious game ‘You & I’ aims to improve mentalizing abilities in adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities, which is expected to lead to improved regulation of stress in social relationships. The study’s unique feature is the use of a serious game to improve mentalizing abilities, which is expected to provide insight into the game’s effectiveness for adults with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. If the intervention is effective, the serious game can be implemented on a broad scale in Dutch care organizations for people with intellectual disabilities as an effective tool to improve mentalizing abilities. It will be made available online, free of charge. Trial Registration: Nederlands Trial Register NTR7418 (registered 2 August 2018). Keywords: Mentalization, stress regulation, intellectual disability, serious game.

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A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Intranasal Oxytocin as an Adjunct to Behavioral Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder

10.21236/ada604189 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

John Gabrieli

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Randomized Controlled

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Pivotal Response Treatment with and without robot-assistance for children with autism: a randomized controlled trial

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry ◽

10.1007/s00787-021-01804-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Iris van den Berk-Smeekens ◽

Manon W. P. de Korte ◽

Martine van Dongen-Boomsma ◽

Iris J. Oosterling ◽

Jenny C. den Boer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Pivotal Response Treatment ◽

Robot Assisted ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Robot Assistance

AbstractPivotal response treatment (PRT) is a promising intervention focused on improving social communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Since robots potentially appeal to children with ASD and may contribute to their motivation for social interaction, this exploratory randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted comparing PRT (PRT and robot-assisted PRT) with treatment-as-usual (TAU). Seventy-three children (PRT: n = 25; PRT + robot: n = 25; TAU: n = 23) with ASD, aged 3–8 years were assessed at baseline, after 10 and 20 weeks of intervention, and at 3-month follow-up. There were no significant group differences on parent- and teacher-rated general social-communicative skills and blindly rated global functioning directly after treatment. However, at follow-up largest gains were observed in robot-assisted PRT compared to other groups. These results suggest that robot-assistance may contribute to intervention efficacy for children with ASD when using game scenarios for robot-child interaction during multiple sessions combined with motivational components of PRT. This trial is registered at https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/4487; NL4487/NTR4712 (2014-08-01).

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