Parent-Led Home Play Program to Improve Social Skills in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the Companion Mind-Drawing Cooperative Game Program, a parent-led, home-based play intervention designed to improve social cognitive skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder ASD. This study focuses on key social cognitive areas such as emotion recognition, theory of mind, empathy, joint attention, self-perception, and social communication, aiming to provide evidence for a family-implemented programs effectiveness in children aged 4 to 8 years. The intervention involves parents attending a 2.5-hour in-person training session at the hospital, where they learn how to conduct structured cooperative games at home. Parents then deliver the intervention daily for at least 30 minutes over six months, targeting six social cognitive domains through these games. Monthly online video sessions with a clinician provide personalized feedback to ensure proper program delivery. Children in the comparison group continue their usual care without receiving this intervention during the study period. Participants are assessed at the start and 12 months later using behavioral tests and eye-tracking to measure social attention and theory of mind. Additional evaluations include parent intervention fidelity, satisfaction, and changes in emotion recognition, empathy, self-perception, and social communication. This research spans approximately one year, including the six-month intervention and follow-up, with ongoing monitoring of intervention quality and social cognitive outcomes.

Parent-Mediated Social Cognition Intervention for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder