Digital Game Therapy for Autism

Overseen By Kaiti Dunlap, MRes

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Stanford University

Disqualifiers: Genetic syndromes, Epilepsy, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

Duration: 8 weeks

1000 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The following study aims to assess the efficacy of the game-based digital therapeutic, GuessWhat, in improving adaptive socialization skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). GuessWhat is a mobile application (available for free for iOS and Android) which contains a suite of games: pro-social charades, emotion guessing, and quiz. Participant families will use their personal smartphones to download the app and play it with their child according to a predetermined regimen.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment GuessWhat for autism?

Research on similar digital game therapies for autism shows that these games can help improve social skills, concentration, and daily living skills in children with autism. For example, studies have found that game-based interventions can enhance social communication and problem-solving skills, suggesting that GuessWhat might also be effective in these areas. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is digital game therapy safe for people with autism?

In a small study with 10 children using a gaming platform for autism, no negative effects were reported, and parents noted improvements in concentration, flexibility, and self-esteem. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings in larger groups. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

How is the treatment GuessWhat different from other autism treatments?

GuessWhat is a unique smartphone-based game that helps identify children with autism by analyzing their gameplay data, making it different from traditional therapies that often require in-person assessments. It offers a remote, gamified approach to therapy, which can be particularly beneficial for reaching communities with limited access to healthcare facilities. ^{1 2 7 9 10}

Research Team

Dennis P Wall, PhD

Principal Investigator

Stanford University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for children aged 3-12 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), whose parents are at least 18 years old and can confirm the diagnosis. Parents need to have a compatible iOS or Android smartphone and be able to read English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Children with additional psychiatric or neurological conditions are not eligible.

Inclusion Criteria

I am over 18 and have a child with autism.

My child with autism is between 3 and 12 years old.

A professional diagnosis of Autism that is able to be confirmed by negative score on a machine learning based algorithm using items from Mobile Autism Risk Assessment and video based classifier or by a copy of diagnostic report

Exclusion Criteria

Parent does not have an Android or iOS smartphone compatible with GuessWhat App

I cannot read English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

My child has autism and other psychiatric or neurological conditions.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Baseline Assessment

Parents complete initial clinical outcome measure questionnaires and mobile autism risk assessment

1 week

1 visit (virtual)

Treatment

Participants use the GuessWhat app for 15 minutes, 3-4 times per week for 8 weeks

8 weeks

Weekly check-ins (virtual)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in socialization and parental stress after treatment

1 week

1 visit (virtual)

Treatment Details

Interventions

• GuessWhat

Trial Overview The study tests 'GuessWhat', a digital game therapeutic on smartphones designed to boost social skills in kids with ASD. It includes charades, emotion recognition games, and quizzes that families play following a set schedule.

Participant Groups

Group I: Charades-based mobile digital therapeutic Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

The mobile app is a charades style game and app that engages parent and child in fluid social interaction where the parent must guess what the child is acting out based on the prompt shown on the phone screen. Participants will use their own personal phone to download the study app. Parents are asked to play with their child for 15 minutes 3-4 times per week for 8 weeks.

Group II: Treatment as Usual Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants in control group will continue their Applied Behavior Analysis therapy as usual for 8 weeks, and then will be able to cross-over to the treatment condition at week 8.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Stanford University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,527

Recruited

17,430,000+

Findings from Research

A new automated gaming platform designed for children with autism focuses on improving key skills like Imitation and Joint Attention through engaging games, showing promise for intensive intervention in home settings.

In a 3-month trial with 10 children, parents reported improvements in their child's concentration (78%), flexibility (89%), and self-esteem (44%), indicating the platform's potential effectiveness in enhancing developmental skills.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

GOLIAH: A Gaming Platform for Home-Based Intervention in Autism - Principles and Design. Bono, V., Narzisi, A., Jouen, AL., et al.[2020]

Gamification of interventions provides a promising alternative for improving social communication and cognitive skills in autistic individuals, allowing for more natural and engaging learning experiences.

This scoping review highlights the potential of game-based approaches and offers resources for parents and professionals to effectively integrate these methods into their practices for supporting autistic children, adolescents, and adults.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Use of Analog and Digital Games for Autism Interventions. Atherton, G., Cross, L.[2023]

The GOLIAH gaming platform, used alongside traditional treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), showed improvements in joint attention and imitation skills over a 6-month period, although it did not significantly outperform standard treatment alone.

Parents reported no increase in stress levels while using GOLIAH, suggesting that the gaming intervention may be a supportive tool without adding to parental burdens, warranting further investigation in larger trials.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

GOLIAH (Gaming Open Library for Intervention in Autism at Home): a 6-month single blind matched controlled exploratory study. Jouen, AL., Narzisi, A., Xavier, J., et al.[2020]

A study involving 80 preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) found that interactive group sandplay significantly improved social withdrawal and overall behavior compared to individual sandplay after three months of treatment.

Both treatment methods were effective, but the interactive group sandplay led to greater improvements in sociability, emotional responses, and reductions in stereotypic behaviors, highlighting its potential as a more beneficial intervention for children with ASD.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Clinical efficacy of interactive group sandplay versus individual sandplay in the treatment of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder]. Wang, YX., Lu, GB., Ge, P., et al.[2020]

The smartphone-based game GuessWhat? has shown promise in distinguishing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from neurotypical children, achieving a classification accuracy (AU-ROC) of 0.745 and a recall rate of 0.769 using naturalistic gameplay data.

This approach highlights the feasibility of using digital tools for screening ASD, particularly in underserved communities, suggesting that telemedicine can enhance access to early diagnosis and intervention.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine learning models using mobile game play accurately classify children with autism. Deveau, N., Washington, P., Leblanc, E., et al.[2023]

In a study involving 18 children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the Empowered Brain AR smartglasses were found to be safe, with 89% of users able to wear and use the device without reporting negative effects.

Caregivers also reported no negative effects, and the majority of users and caregivers expressed satisfaction with the design, indicating that AR technology could be a beneficial tool for social communication in individuals with ASD, although further research is needed on long-term effects.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Safety and Lack of Negative Effects of Wearable Augmented-Reality Social Communication Aid for Children and Adults with Autism. Sahin, NT., Keshav, NU., Salisbury, JP., et al.[2023]

References

1. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

GOLIAH: A Gaming Platform for Home-Based Intervention in Autism - Principles and Design. [2020]

2. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Use of Analog and Digital Games for Autism Interventions. [2023]

3. New Zealand pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A prosocial online game for social cognition training in adolescents with high-functioning autism: an fMRI study. [2020]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

GOLIAH (Gaming Open Library for Intervention in Autism at Home): a 6-month single blind matched controlled exploratory study. [2020]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Personalized Training via Serious Game to Improve Daily Living Skills in Pediatric Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder. [2022]

6. China pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Clinical efficacy of interactive group sandplay versus individual sandplay in the treatment of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder]. [2020]

7. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine learning models using mobile game play accurately classify children with autism. [2023]

8. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Safety and Lack of Negative Effects of Wearable Augmented-Reality Social Communication Aid for Children and Adults with Autism. [2023]

9. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A biofeedback-enhanced therapeutic exercise video game intervention for young people with cerebral palsy: A randomized single-case experimental design feasibility study. [2020]

10. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The possible therapeutic benefits of utilizing motion gaming systems on pediatric patients presenting autism. [2013]