Virtual Reality-Based Self-Modeling Intervention for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Enrolling by invitation · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Autism Spectrum Disorder

In brief

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impairments in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors. Behavioral and educational interventions are considered the most effective approaches to improve functional outcomes in children with ASD. However, access to these interventions may be disrupted in extraordinary situations such as natural disasters or limited access to specialized rehabilitation services. The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a virtual reality (VR)-based intervention program using a self-modeling approach to improve core social communication skills in children with ASD. The program will focus on core social communication behaviors including eye contact, initiating joint attention, responding to joint attention, and gesture use. The study will include 75 children aged 6-11 years diagnosed with ASD without intellectual disability. Participants will be randomly assigned to three groups. The intervention group will receive a 12-week VR-based training program designed according to evidence-based behavioral principles and self-modeling scenarios. In the VR environment, children will observe themselves performing target behaviors and subsequently practice these behaviors within the same environment, with virtual reinforcement provided for successful performance. One control group will receive conventional rehabilitation training delivered by a special education teacher for the same duration, while another control group will not receive any additional intervention. Participants will be evaluated using standardized clinical assessment scales, behavioral observation methods, and eye-tracking measurements to assess changes in social communication skills and visual attention patterns.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07505901

Run by

Inonu University

People needed

75

Starts

2025-06-15

Expected to finish

2026-09-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-04-01

Who can join

Age: 6 and older, up to 11. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Children aged 6-11 years
• Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder according to DSM-5 criteria
• Meeting ASD classification on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2)
• Ability to produce simple sentence-level speech
• Eye contact score of 2 on ADOS-2 assessment
• Gesture use score ≥1 on ADOS-2 assessment
• Written informed consent obtained from parents or legal guardians

You may not qualify if…

• Presence of epilepsy or other chronic neurological disorders
• Presence of significant medical conditions that may interfere with participation in the intervention
• Intellectual disability (IQ ≤70 on WISC-R assessment)
• Known visual or hearing impairment that may affect participation in the assessments
• Presence of physical disabilities that interfere with gesture use or participation in the intervention

Where it is running

• Inonu University Turgut Ozal Medical Center Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry — Malatya, Turkey (Türkiye)
• Trabzon Kanuni Training and Research Hospital Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry — Trabzon, Turkey (Türkiye)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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