Targeting the Sensory Disturbance in Autism Spectrum Disorder

National Taiwan University Hospital90 enrolled

Overview

This study aims to establish a cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) based virtual exposure (VR) exposure program to train ASD adults coping with everyday sensory scenarios. Through the practice and training, the ASD participants may learn the strategy to deal with the common sensory scenarios and master the anxiety around the exposure. The anticipatory anxiety and the maladaptive behaviors may be decreased along with the process of desensitization, while the functional impairment related to sensory sensitivity can partly be recovered.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Autistic Disorders Spectrum

Interventions

CBT-based VR exporsure programBEHAVIORAL

This project seeks to establish a 8-week CBT-based VR exposure program to tackle sensory problems in ASD according to the theory of exposure and desensitization (both social and non-social scenarios) as well as identifying dysfunctional thought and searching for alternative thinking. In brief, this program aims to build up the core competence of the ASD individuals in facing the sensory environment, including (1) Relaxation skills (2) Ranking the fearful sensory situations (3) Anxiety coping strategy (3) Graded exposure (4) Cognitive appraisal and restructuring: identifying the dysfunctional thought when facing the social situations and figuring out alternative thinking.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 20 YearsMax age: 45 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * young adult aged between 18 and 45 years who had a diagnosis of ASD from a licensed mental health or medical professional based on DSM-5; * has sensory and social problems as reported by the participant and the caregiver; * is motivated to participate in the treatment; * is fluent in Chinese; * has a full-scale IQ \> 70 on WAIS-IV; * scored ≧ 26 on the caregiver-reported Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), indicating clinical impairment associated with ASD. Exclusion Criteria: * A history of major mental illness (e.g., bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia, or psychosis) or neurological diseases; * visual impairment and/or hearing impairment that would preclude participation in the CBT-based VR exposure program

Locations (1)

National Taiwan University Hospital

Taipei, Taiwan

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

The change of heart rate

The change of heart rate is related to the activation level of sympathetic nervous system, which can describe the change on anxiety level.

Time frame: Two months, first time in the first week and second time in the last week.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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