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NCT Number: NCT07367256

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Emotion Understanding in Children With Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication, and in understanding one's own and others' mental and emotional states. In particular, skills related to the recognition, understanding, and regulation of emotions represent a significant area of vulnerability in children with high-functioning ASD, with important consequences for social and relational functioning.

The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention protocol designed to enhance socio-emotional understanding, with a specific focus on the recognition of basic and complex emotions, the expansion of emotional vocabulary, the association between situations, thoughts, and emotions, and the differentiation between thoughts and emotions. Furthermore, the study seeks to investigate the role of immersive technology (Oculus) as a potential facilitator of emotional learning compared to a traditional intervention approach. The sample will consist of children with a diagnosis of high-functioning ASD, aged between 7 and 10 years, with sentence-level language abilities, the capacity to narrate non-present events, and an intellectual quotient above 80 (assessed using the Griffiths Scales or the WISC-IV). Participants will be divided into two groups: an experimental group (OCULUS), which will receive the intervention mediated by the use of Oculus technology, and a control group which will undergo the same protocol without technological support.

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Key information

Conditions

Autism Autism Disorder Autism Spectrum Disorder Autistic Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Mental Disorders Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Age range

7 year–10 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica

Messina, Italy, 98164

Location status: Recruiting

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Language in sentences
  • Ability to narrate events not present
  • QS/QI>80

Exclusion criteria

  • presence of other medical disorders

Treatment and study plan

Oculus intervention

Other

Phase 1: Basic Emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise)

  • Step 1-3: Sequential recognition and identification of emotions on faces, using sets of 4 or 6 images.
  • Step 4-6: Association of thoughts, emotions, and situations in everyday scenarios.

All activities are conducted through immersive virtual reality (Oculus), allowing children to interact with structured environments and scenarios that facilitate socio-emotional learning.

Phase 2: Complex Emotions (guilt, shame, pride, frustration, jealousy)

  • Step 1-6: Same structure as Phase 1, using complex emotions.
  • Activities are mediated via Oculus, providing an interactive and immersive learning experience

Traditional intervention

Other

Phase 1: Basic Emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise)

  • Step 1-3: Sequential recognition and identification of emotions on faces, using sets of 4 or 6 images.
  • Step 4-6: Association of thoughts, emotions, and situations in everyday scenarios.

All activities are conducted in a traditional format, without the use of immersive technology, with the therapist guiding the child directly through the exercises to support socio-emotional learning.

Phase 2: Complex Emotions (guilt, shame, pride, frustration, jealousy)

  • Step 1-6: Same structure as Phase 1, using complex emotions.
  • Activities are performed under direct therapist supervision in a non-technological setting.

Primary outcomes

  1. Test of Emotional Vocabulary (TLE)

    Time frame: The administration has a duration of 15 minutes.

    The test contains an initial board, with which the child is introduced to the two protagonists of the subsequent stories, a boy and a girl; there is then a pretest board and 14 storyboards. For each of them, the examiner reads the short story to the child and then asks the child to choose, from two alternative emotional words, the one that best expresses what the protagonist of the story is feeling. In the first part, the child's understanding of emotional vocabulary referring to six basic emotions plus one complex emotion (joy, happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and shame) is assessed; in the second part, the emotional terms all refer to complex emotions (guilt, envy, jealousy, contempt, hate, longing and pride).

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Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Efficacy of a Virtual Reality-Mediated Intervention on Emotion Recognition and Understanding in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jan 26, 2026
Registry last updated
Jan 26, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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