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Comparative Outcomes of VR and In-person Interventions for Preschool-aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

NCT07594171 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 32

Last updated 2026-05-18

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a virtual reality (VR)-based social skills intervention works as well as an in-person group intervention for improving social skills in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability. It will also examine how these two approaches may differ in their effects across different settings.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Do children who receive the VR-based intervention show improvements in social skills over time? Are there differences in outcomes between children receiving the VR-based intervention and those receiving the in-person group intervention?

Researchers will compare a VR-based social skills intervention to an in-person group-based intervention with equivalent content to see if the mode of delivery affects treatment outcomes.

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned to either a VR-based intervention group or an in-person group intervention Participate in 8 weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 50 minutes Engage in structured, play-based social skills activities designed using naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBIs) principles Complete caregiver- and teacher-reported questionnaires before and after the intervention

Conditions

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder High-Functioning
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Virtual Reality-Based Social Skills Group Intervention

This intervention is a virtual reality (VR)-based social skills training program grounded in Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs). The program consists of 8 weekly sessions (approximately 50 minutes each) delivered via a head-mounted display in an immersive virtual environment. The intervention incorporates structured social interaction scenarios, hierarchical prompting, prompt fading, and individualized reinforcement. Real-time feedback is provided based on participant responses to support the development of social communication, emotional understanding, and behavioral regulation. The intervention content, session structure, and therapeutic principles are designed to be equivalent to the in-person intervention condition.

BEHAVIORAL

In-Person Social Skills Group Intervention

This intervention is an in-person group-based social skills training program grounded in Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs). The program consists of 8 weekly sessions (approximately 50 minutes each), conducted in small groups and led by trained clinicians. The intervention includes naturalistic social interaction activities, hierarchical prompting, prompt fading, and individualized reinforcement. Therapists provide real-time modeling, feedback, and scaffolding based on participants' responses. The intervention content, session structure, and therapeutic principles are matched to those of the VR-based intervention to ensure equivalence across conditions.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Cheng-Kung University Hospital

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
4 Years
Max Age
6 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-12-06
Primary Completion
2025-10-31
Completion
2025-10-31

Countries

  • Taiwan

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07594171 on ClinicalTrials.gov