AutismNCT05565482
Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday
A study testing Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday in people with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder, run by University of Michigan at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Nearly 50,000 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition from high school to adult life each year with only 25% of these transition-age youth with ASD (TAY-ASD) getting jobs within 2 years of graduation. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 16 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 44 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 13 Oct 2022to 1 Jan 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 16 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- At least 16 years old
- Screened for ASD via parent report using the Social Responsivity Scale 2nd Edition (SRS-2) (a score of 65T or higher on the SRS-2 will be used to reduce false positives) or have a record with an engaged site of ASD
- Have at least a 4th grade reading level measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test 4th edition (this may be provided by sites)
- 18 or older (no maximum age)
- Currently working at an engaged site
Who cannot join
- Medical illness that may significantly compromise cognition (e.g., moderate or greater traumatic brain injury)
- uncorrected vision, or hearing problems that prevent using the software
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Michigan Career and Technical Institute
Plainwell, Michigan, 49080
About this study
Official title: Social Cognitive Skills Training for Work
Nearly 50,000 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition from high school to adult life each year with only 25% of these transition-age youth with ASD (TAY-ASD) getting jobs within 2 years of graduation. TAY-ASD's ability to sustain employment is even more challenging due in part to their social cognitive deficits (e.g., poorly reading social cues) that disrupt communicating with customers, coworkers, and supervisors. Research shows nearly 90% of job dismissals among TAY-ASD are attributed to poor work-based social functioning (e.g., poorly communicating with upset customers). The subsequent unemployment has damaging effects on their mental, physical, and economic health. A critical gap in federally-mandated services to support youth with ASD as they transition from school-to-adult life is the lack of evidence-based practice to enhance work-based social functioning. Given that TAY-ASD report computerized training tools (developed by the investigators and others) are highly acceptable and improve their real-world outcomes, the investigators propose to address this critical barrier to sustained employment by developing and evaluating a novel and scalable computerized training tool to enhance participant conversations with customers, coworkers and supervisors at work.
The investigators propose to develop and test the effectiveness of Social Cognitive and Affective Learning for Work (Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday), a computerized training tool. Work Chat will have three tiers of instruction designed to help TAY-ASD prepare for effective workplace communication. Tier 1 will adapt existing evidence-based practices to design an e-learning curriculum that trains social cognitive strategies to help guide work-related conversations (e.g., reading social cues or regulating emotions during supervisor feedback). In Tier 2, SIMmersion's PeopleSim® technology will enable TAY-ASD to apply social cognitive strategies learned in Tier 1 to repetitively practice simulated conversations with a fictional customer, coworker, or supervisor. In Tier 3, SIMmersion will innovate PeopleSim to exist in an interactive 3-D environment to create a virtual workday with interconnected activities were the actions made early in the day influence conversations later in the day (e.g., a poor customer interaction may result in constructive feedback from a supervisor).
Read more
Phase I (Feasibility) was completed with application HUM00177878.
Phase II (Efficacy) Aims:
Aim 1) Complete Work Chat development using an iterative process that includes initial and ongoing individual-level feedback from Phase I participants and the community and scientific advisory boards to complete the product that will be evaluated in Aims 2-3.
Aim 2) Conduct a Randomized Controlled Effectiveness-Implementation hybrid trial in a school setting to evaluate Work Chat. The investigators will recruit and randomly assign n=338 TAY-ASD (90% of sample frame) enrolled in school-based standard transition services (STS) to the Work Chat group (STS+SW) or a STS group (STS). The hypothesis is that STS+SW, compared to STS, will show greater gains in: (H1) social cognition and (H2) work-based social functioning; as well as (H3) reduced anxiety about work-based social encounters, and (H4) greater sustained employment by 9-month follow-up. The investigators will test mechanistic hypotheses (H5a-b) that social cognitive ability (H5a) and work-based social functioning (H5b) mediate the effect of treatment (STS+SW vs. STS) on sustained employment. For the implementation evaluation, the investigators will conduct a multilevel, mixed-method process evaluation of Work Chat's acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility.
Aim 3) Use community participatory research methods to prepare for commercialization. The investigators will conduct a parallel multilevel, mixed method implementation evaluation that focuses on the Work Chat delivery system regarding its feasibility, sustainability, scalability, and generalizability by conduct focus groups with delivery staff and administrators. These groups will discuss potential facilitators and barriers to Work Chat implementation, adoption, and sustainability.
- Conditions
- Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Being tested
- Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday
- Keywords
- social skills
- Medical subject headings
- Autistic Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Social Skills
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual WorkdayBehavioural
Study participants will receive Standard Transition Services plus Work Chat will be a simulation training using virtual characters to role-play conversations. It will contain conversations with a coworker, a customer, and a supervisor within a workplace setting.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Transition Services + Work Chat | Experimental | This arm will receive services as usual plus the Work Chat intervention over a series of a few weeks. We estimate approximately 15-18 hours of training will occur. Receives: Behavioral: Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday |
| Standard Transition Services | No intervention | This arm will receive services as usual. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Theory of Mind - Hinting Task
Measured by the hinting task (Corcoran, Mercer, \& Frith, 1995), which comprises 10 short stories describing an interaction between two characters, all of which end with one of the characters making a hint. At the end of each passage, the participant is asked what the hint meant. If they give a correct response (score 2), they move onto the next item. If they fail, they are provided with extra information to help interpret the hint. A correct recognition of the hint at this stage scores 1. Total score can be 0-20, with a higher score being a better outcome.
Measured: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Change in Emotion Recognition Ability - MiniPONs
Measured by the MiniPONS, which is a short, multichannel version of the established Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS) test (Rosenthal et al., 1979). The short multichannel version (64 items) available here correlates very highly with the full version and shows reasonable construct validity through significant correlations with other tests of emotion recognition ability. A total score is calculated at the end, total score can be 0-64, with a higher score being a better outcome.
Measured: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Change in Emotion Regulation - Emotion Dysregulation Inventory Short Form (Reactivity Index Short Form)
Measured by the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI) Short Form (13 items), which is a caregiver-report questionnaire designed to capture emotional distress and problems with emotion regulation without requiring verbal information. The EDI is comprised of two scales: Reactivity (7 items) and Dysphoria (6 items). Items on the scale are 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Very severe). A total score for Reactivity can be 0-28 and a total score for Dysphoria can be 0-24. Higher scores indicate higher dysregulation, which is a worse outcome.
Measured: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Greater sustained employment by 9 Months
Self-report employment surveys completed at baseline and follow ups. Employment will be tracked as 0 (no job) and 1 (job). Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Measured: 9 Month Follow Up (approximately 9 Months after posttest)
Change in Managing Emotions
The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) is an ability-based test designed to measure the four branches of the EI model of Mayer and Salovey. This study will only use the Managing Emotions Subscale, which measures the ability to be be open to emotions and feelings and integrate emotions with thinking. There are 29 scenarios presented, with higher score ranges indicating a positive outcome and lower score ranges indicating a worse outcome. The score ranges are as follows: Improve (worse), Consider Developing, Competent, Skilled, and Expert (positive).
Measured: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Secondary outcomes (2)
Change in Anxiety
Measured by the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) self-report survey. Items are on a 5 point scale with 0 being "not at all" and 4 being "extremely". Total score can be 0-80, with higher scores indicating higher anxiety, a worse outcome.
Measured: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Greater Gains/Change in Workplace Functioning - Workplace Behavior Inventory (WBI)
Measured by the Workplace Behavior Inventory (WBI), a 36 item survey using a scale of 1 (inferior performance) to 5 (superior performance), and 2, 3, 4 representing intermediate points on the performance continuum. Total scores range from 36-180 with higher scores indicating a better outcome.
Measured: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Oct 2022
- Study start13 Oct 2022
- Primary completion1 Sep 2025
- Study completion1 Jan 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for AutismStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of MichiganThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 44 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Michigan
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- SIMmersion, LLC, Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Michigan State University, University of Pittsburgh
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Matthew Smith, University of Michigan
- Investigators
- Matthew J Smith, PhD, Principal investigator, University of Michigan
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05565482
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- HUM00216949
- Other IDs
- R44MH123359-01
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 26 Sep 2022
- Last updated
- 5 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Social Cognitive Skills Training for Work
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05565482
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- HUM00216949
- Conditions
- Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Keywords
- social skills
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 44 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of MichiganUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- SIMmersion, LLC, Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Michigan State University, University of Pittsburgh
- Study start
- 13 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Jan 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 4 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Nearly 50,000 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition from high school to adult life each year with only 25% of these transition-age youth with ASD (TAY-ASD) getting jobs within 2 years of graduation. TAY-ASD's ability to sustain employment is even more challenging due in part to their social cognitive deficits (e.g., poorly reading social cues) that disrupt communicating with customers, coworkers, and supervisors. Research shows nearly 90% of job dismissals among TAY-ASD are attributed to poor work-based social functioning (e.g., poorly communicating with upset customers). The subsequent unemployment has damaging effects on their mental, physical, and economic health. A critical gap in federally-mandated services to support youth with ASD as they transition from school-to-adult life is the lack of evidence-based practice to enhance work-based social functioning. Given that TAY-ASD report computerized training tools (developed by the investigators and others) are highly acceptable and improve their real-world outcomes, the investigators propose to address this critical barrier to sustained employment by developing and evaluating a novel and scalable computerized training tool to enhance participant conversations with customers, coworkers and supervisors at work.
The investigators propose to develop and test the effectiveness of Social Cognitive and Affective Learning for Work (Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday), a computerized training tool. Work Chat will have three tiers of instruction designed to help TAY-ASD prepare for effective workplace communication. Tier 1 will adapt existing evidence-based practices to design an e-learning curriculum that trains social cognitive strategies to help guide work-related conversations (e.g., reading social cues or regulating emotions during supervisor feedback). In Tier 2, SIMmersion's PeopleSim® technology will enable TAY-ASD to apply social cognitive strategies learned in Tier 1 to repetitively practice simulated conversations with a fictional customer, coworker, or supervisor. In Tier 3, SIMmersion will innovate PeopleSim to exist in an interactive 3-D environment to create a virtual workday with interconnected activities were the actions made early in the day influence conversations later in the day (e.g., a poor customer interaction may result in constructive feedback from a supervisor).
Phase I (Feasibility) was completed with application HUM00177878.
Phase II (Efficacy) Aims:
Aim 1) Complete Work Chat development using an iterative process that includes initial and ongoing individual-level feedback from Phase I participants and the community and scientific advisory boards to complete the product that will be evaluated in Aims 2-3.
Aim 2) Conduct a Randomized Controlled Effectiveness-Implementation hybrid trial in a school setting to evaluate Work Chat. The investigators will recruit and randomly assign n=338 TAY-ASD (90% of sample frame) enrolled in school-based standard transition services (STS) to the Work Chat group (STS+SW) or a STS group (STS). The hypothesis is that STS+SW, compared to STS, will show greater gains in: (H1) social cognition and (H2) work-based social functioning; as well as (H3) reduced anxiety about work-based social encounters, and (H4) greater sustained employment by 9-month follow-up. The investigators will test mechanistic hypotheses (H5a-b) that social cognitive ability (H5a) and work-based social functioning (H5b) mediate the effect of treatment (STS+SW vs. STS) on sustained employment. For the implementation evaluation, the investigators will conduct a multilevel, mixed-method process evaluation of Work Chat's acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility.
Aim 3) Use community participatory research methods to prepare for commercialization. The investigators will conduct a parallel multilevel, mixed method implementation evaluation that focuses on the Work Chat delivery system regarding its feasibility, sustainability, scalability, and generalizability by conduct focus groups with delivery staff and administrators. These groups will discuss potential facilitators and barriers to Work Chat implementation, adoption, and sustainability.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Transition Services + Work Chat | Experimental | Behavioral: Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual WorkdayThis arm will receive services as usual plus the Work Chat intervention over a series of a few weeks. We estimate approximately 15-18 hours of training will occur. |
| Standard Transition Services | No intervention | –This arm will receive services as usual. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 16 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- At least 16 years old
- Screened for ASD via parent report using the Social Responsivity Scale 2nd Edition (SRS-2) (a score of 65T or higher on the SRS-2 will be used to reduce false positives) or have a record with an engaged site of ASD
- Have at least a 4th grade reading level measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test 4th edition (this may be provided by sites)
- 18 or older (no maximum age)
- Currently working at an engaged site
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Medical illness that may significantly compromise cognition (e.g., moderate or greater traumatic brain injury)
- uncorrected vision, or hearing problems that prevent using the software
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual WorkdayStudy participants will receive Standard Transition Services plus Work Chat will be a simulation training using virtual characters to role-play conversations. It will contain conversations with a coworker, a customer, and a supervisor within a workplace setting. | Behavioural | Standard Transition Services + Work Chat |
Primary outcome
Change in Theory of Mind - Hinting Task
Time frame: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Measured by the hinting task (Corcoran, Mercer, \& Frith, 1995), which comprises 10 short stories describing an interaction between two characters, all of which end with one of the characters making a hint. At the end of each passage, the participant is asked what the hint meant. If they give a correct response (score 2), they move onto the next item. If they fail, they are provided with extra information to help interpret the hint. A correct recognition of the hint at this stage scores 1. Total score can be 0-20, with a higher score being a better outcome.
Change in Emotion Recognition Ability - MiniPONs
Time frame: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Measured by the MiniPONS, which is a short, multichannel version of the established Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (PONS) test (Rosenthal et al., 1979). The short multichannel version (64 items) available here correlates very highly with the full version and shows reasonable construct validity through significant correlations with other tests of emotion recognition ability. A total score is calculated at the end, total score can be 0-64, with a higher score being a better outcome.
Change in Emotion Regulation - Emotion Dysregulation Inventory Short Form (Reactivity Index Short Form)
Time frame: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Measured by the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI) Short Form (13 items), which is a caregiver-report questionnaire designed to capture emotional distress and problems with emotion regulation without requiring verbal information. The EDI is comprised of two scales: Reactivity (7 items) and Dysphoria (6 items). Items on the scale are 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Very severe). A total score for Reactivity can be 0-28 and a total score for Dysphoria can be 0-24. Higher scores indicate higher dysregulation, which is a worse outcome.
Greater sustained employment by 9 Months
Time frame: 9 Month Follow Up (approximately 9 Months after posttest)
Self-report employment surveys completed at baseline and follow ups. Employment will be tracked as 0 (no job) and 1 (job). Higher scores indicate a better outcome.
Change in Managing Emotions
Time frame: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) is an ability-based test designed to measure the four branches of the EI model of Mayer and Salovey. This study will only use the Managing Emotions Subscale, which measures the ability to be be open to emotions and feelings and integrate emotions with thinking. There are 29 scenarios presented, with higher score ranges indicating a positive outcome and lower score ranges indicating a worse outcome. The score ranges are as follows: Improve (worse), Consider Developing, Competent, Skilled, and Expert (positive).
2 secondary outcomes
Change in Anxiety
Time frame: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Greater Gains/Change in Workplace Functioning - Workplace Behavior Inventory (WBI)
Time frame: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Matthew J Smith, PhD principal investigator
University of Michigan
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Work Chat: An Interactive Virtual Workday in people with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder, run by University of Michigan at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Theory of Mind - Hinting Task (time frame: Baseline and posttest (approximately 6 weeks after baseline)). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 May 2026.