The goal of this interventional study was to examine the effectiveness and mechanism of online peer companion intervention (OPCI) on the social abilities and mental health of ASD children. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Whether OPCI is effective on the social abilities and mental health of ASD children; 2. What impact does OPCI have on the social abilities and mental health of ordinary children; 3. What impact does OPCI have on the mental health of both children's parents; 4. What are the mechanisms of OPCI on ASD children.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
100
Ordinary children would be paired with ASD children before the interventions. Dyads in the OPCI would have a total of 12 sessions within two months, each lasting 30-60 minutes. The longest interval between two sessions couldn't exceed two weeks. Researchers would recommend a series of companion themes for children to choose from (e.g., daily sharing and drawing). Ordinary children and ASD children need to discuss activities that are of mutual interest before each session. A researcher assistant would be online to ensure the normal development of the interventions and be responsible for video recording of the exchanges at the beginning of each session. Except for extreme circumstances, he or she would turn off the video and sound throughout the process and withdraw soon. During the interventions, parents would play a supporting role when children express needs without over-involvement.
Dyads in the WLG would only participate in preliminary training and measurement during the implementation of the intervention. After completing the post-test, this study will implement the same online peer companionship intervention.
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
RECRUITINGSocial Behavior of ASD Children
We examined the effectiveness of OPCI on the social behavior of ASD participants through parent-report Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS).
Time frame: Pre-test, two process measurements (after 6th and 9th session, respectively), post-test, and follow-up (1, 2, 3 and 6 months after the intervention
Mental Health of ASD Children
We examined the effectiveness of OPCI on the mental health of ASD participants through the parent-report 25-item Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS)
Time frame: Pre-test, two process measurements (after 6th and 9th session, respectively), post-test, and follow-up (1, 2, 3 and 6 months after the intervention
Mental Health of Ordinary Children
We examined the effectiveness of OPCI on the mental health of ordinary children participants through some self-report and parent-report scales, including the 25-item Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC), and so on.
Time frame: Pre-test, two process measurements (after 6th and 9th session, respectively), post-test, and follow-up (1, 2, 3 and 6 months after the intervention) or only measure at pre-test, post-test and follow-up
Social Ability of Ordinary Children
We explored the effectiveness of OPCI on the social ability of ordinary children participants through self-report and parent-report Social Skills Rating Systems (SSRS)
Time frame: Pre-test, two process measurements (after 6th and 9th session, respectively), post-test, and follow-up (1, 2, 3 and 6 months after the intervention
Mental Health of Parents
We examined the effectiveness of OPCI on the mental health of both children's parents through some self-report scales, including the General Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC), and so on.
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Time frame: Pre-test, two process measurements (after 6th and 9th session, respectively), post-test, and follow-up (1, 2, 3 and 6 months after the intervention) or only measure at pre-test, post-test and follow-up.