Training Attention and Eye Movement in ASD

Not Applicable

Completed

Conditions: Autistic Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions: Behavioral: Cognitive Training
Behavioral: Hand Motor Training
Behavioral: Eye Motor Training

Registration Number: NCT02403817

Lead Sponsor: University of California, San Diego

Brief Summary: Current therapies for autism target social and language behaviors, but due to the high-level nature of these skills any improvement rarely extends beyond the targeted behavior. This project uses new technology to implement a novel concept for behavioral intervention to improve basic attention and eye movement skills in ASD. Because these basic skills form the foundation for good social communication, training these abilities has the potential to improve a broad spectrum of clinical symptoms, and in young children may affect the course of development.

Detailed Description: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disorder that severely affects the ability to learn and function in a social environment. In typical function, higher level social, language and communication skills develop over the first few years of life and depend upon the critical building blocks of sensory-motor and attention abilities. Similarly in autism, higher level problems with social communication develop over the first two post-natal years and are preceded by subtle but abnormal visual attention and motor skills. Trainings to improve social interaction and communication are the most common of behavioral interventions in ASD. These therapies may improve the specific behaviors that are targets of the training, but rarely do they generalize to broader function or other clinical symptoms. The investigators propose that interventions aimed instead at the early deficits that support social and language skills would be more broadly effective. Because disruption of attention is one of the earliest and most persistent symptoms in autism, and because attention is highly subject to improvement with training, it is an important target for intervention.

This a novel intervention to train the speed and accuracy of attention orienting and eye movement. The training is designed to target attentional behaviors that have been shown to be impaired in autism, including attention orienting, disengagement and shifting, and a restricted attentional field. Because eye movement and attention are tightly linked, eye movement deficits in ASD parallel those found in spatial attention. Eye movements provide a marker for attention and the proposed training is designed to improve speed, accuracy and flexibility of eye movement and attention simultaneously. Training uses a series of entertaining video games to gradually shape behavior using visual and auditory feedback provided in real time. The investigators plan three levels of outcome measures for pre- and post-training to test the effectiveness of the intervention (direct tests of attention and eye movement; tests of improvement in attentional and visual monitoring and speed and accuracy of response in a simulated environment; tests of behavior in an actual social environment). The investigators will conduct clinical trials with control conditions (e.g., standard video games without training elements) with a small sample of ASD children aged 9-15. If this initial work is successful, the long term goal is to develop a readily available inexpensive eyetracker-based system for home use that is suitable for a broad age range of ASD children and adults.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

Participant has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual -IV, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised)
Participant has a nonverbal Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of 85 or greater and verbal IQ of 70 or greater
Cooperative and able to follow instructions
Normal hearing acuity
Normal or corrected-to-normal vision

Exclusion Criteria

Major medical or neurological problems including seizures, diagnosed epileptiform EEG abnormalities, migraine, tuberous sclerosis, fragile X, static encephalopathies resulting from prior Central Nervous System insults, significant premature birth, and history of exposure to teratogens, metabolic abnormalities, and history of head trauma, cerebral palsy, stroke, meningitis, brain tumor or additional psychiatric diagnoses
Participants currently participating in vision therapy will be excluded

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Eye Movement Game Control	Cognitive Training	Cognitive Training Eye Motor Training
Hand Movement Game Control	Hand Motor Training	Cognitive Training Hand Motor Training
Eye Movement Game Control	Eye Motor Training	Cognitive Training Eye Motor Training
Hand Movement Game Control	Cognitive Training	Cognitive Training Hand Motor Training

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Spatial Attention Baseline	Pre-intervention	This behavioral task assesses the participant's baseline ability to rapidly and accurately shift visual attention to different spatial locations. This task also reveals whether a participant becomes overly-focused ('stuck') at specific locations.
Change in Spatial Attention at 8 Weeks	end of Week 8	This behavioral task assesses the change in the participant's ability to rapidly and accurately shift visual attention to different spatial locations as a result of the intervention.
Saccadic Eye Movements Baseline	Pre-intervention	This task uses an eyetracker to measure the baseline speed and accuracy of a participant's saccadic eye movements in response to various stimuli. Measure is accuracy of first saccade in the anti-saccade task.
Change in Saccadic Eye Movements at 8 Weeks	end of Week 8	This task uses an eyetracker to measure the change in the speed and accuracy of a participant's saccadic eye movements in response to various stimuli as a result of the intervention. Measure is accuracy of first saccade in an anti-saccade task.