Storytelling With or Without Social Contextual Information in Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study was to examine the effects of storytelling with or without contextual information on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typical development (TD).

Detailed Description
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This was a 2 x 2 x 2 randomized controlled trial with 52 children (26 with ASD and 26 with TD) recruited in the community and randomized into four groups: 1) ASD Group 1 - storytelling with contextual information; 2) ASD Group 2 - storytelling without contextual information; 3) TD Group 1 - storytelling with contextual information; 4) TD Group 2 - storytelling without contextual information. All stories were photo-based and static in nature. The only difference between Group 1 and Group 2 was that the stories included and did not include social contextual information, respectively. Training was delivered in small groups, with eight sessions across four weeks, two sessions per week, and 30 minutes per session. Participants' total fixation duration (TFD), total visit duration (TVD), and total fixation count (TFC) on human faces from 20 photos and a video were recorded using the Tobii eye tracker.

Official Title
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The Effects of Storytelling With or Without Social Contextual Information Regarding Eye Gaze and Visual Attention in Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development: A Randomized, Controlled Eye-tracking Study

Conditions
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Autism Spectrum Disorder, Healthy

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Storytelling with social contextual information
* Behavioral: Storytelling without social contextual information
* Other: Children with ASD
* Other: Children with TD


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria for children with ASD: 1) children aged between 6 and 12 years old; 2) had a previous diagnosis of ASD from medical professionals; 3) studied in mainstream primary school; 4) had a composite IQ score of 80 or above Inclusion Criteria for children with TD: 1) children aged between 6 and 12 years old; 2) had no developmental disorder or intellectual disability; 3) attended primary school. Exclusion Criteria: NA

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 6 Years
Maximum Age: 12 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: ASD Group 1 - storytelling with social contextual information<br>Storytelling with social contextual information for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Behavioral: Storytelling with social contextual information<br>* Four out of 100 stories from a storytelling app (SAHK, 2013) that incorporated social contextual information, and inter-personal skills were selected. The intervention was in small group format, consisted of eight sessions across four weeks, two sessions per week, 30 minutes per session.<br>Other: Children with ASD<br>* Four out of 100 stories from a storytelling app (SAHK, 2013) were selected for children with ASD.<br>|
| Active Comparator: ASD Group 2 - storytelling without social contextual information<br>Storytelling without social contextual information for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Behavioral: Storytelling without social contextual information<br>* Four out of 100 stories from a storytelling app (SAHK, 2013) without social contextual information, and inter-personal skills were selected. The intervention was in small group format, consisted of eight sessions across four weeks, two sessions per week, 30 minutes per session.<br>Other: Children with ASD<br>* Four out of 100 stories from a storytelling app (SAHK, 2013) were selected for children with ASD.<br>|
| Experimental: TD Group 1 - storytelling with social contextual information<br>Storytelling with social contextual information for typically developed children | Behavioral: Storytelling with social contextual information<br>* Four out of 100 stories from a storytelling app (SAHK, 2013) that incorporated social contextual information, and inter-personal skills were selected. The intervention was in small group format, consisted of eight sessions across four weeks, two sessions per week, 30 minutes per session.<br>Other: Children with TD<br>* Four out of 100 stories from a storytelling app (SAHK, 2013) were selected for children with TD.<br>|
| Active Comparator: TD Group 2 - storytelling without social contextual information<br>Storytelling without social contextual information for typically developed children | Behavioral: Storytelling without social contextual information<br>* Four out of 100 stories from a storytelling app (SAHK, 2013) without social contextual information, and inter-personal skills were selected. The intervention was in small group format, consisted of eight sessions across four weeks, two sessions per week, 30 minutes per session.<br>Other: Children with TD<br>* Four out of 100 stories from a storytelling app (SAHK, 2013) were selected for children with TD.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Eye gaze on the eye tracker | Total fixation duration (TFD) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | 
| Eye gaze on the eye tracker | Total visit duration (TVD) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | 
| Eye gaze on the eye tracker | Total fixation count (TFC) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trail Making Test | Trail Making Test A (TMT-A) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks | 
| Trail Making Test | Trail Making Test B (TMT-B) | Change from baseline to 4 weeks |