Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)NCT07597655
Emotion Intensity Modulates Intention in ASD
An observational study of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability, run by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
This study used eye-tracking to examine how emotional expression intensity (low/medium/high) influences intention understanding in children with ASD, PDD, and TD during a puzzle-search task. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 3 to 10 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 15 Dec 2025to 27 Mar 2026
- Phase
- Observational
- 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 3 to 10 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Study population: Failure to meet the study's group-specific screen cutoffs on the Social Responsiveness Scale(SRS) and ADOS-2; Known genetic syndromes, significant hearing loss, or uncorrectable visual impairment.
Who may be able to join
- Typically developing children without any developmental or neurological disorders.
- Confirmed clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and reconfirmed by the criteria of the Diagnostic Observation Table for ASD, Second Edition (ADOS-2).
- Confirmed clinical diagnosis of Intellectual Disability and the ADOS-2 with a comparison score below the ASD diagnostic cut-off score (comparison score≤2).
Who cannot join
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision, no color vision deficiencies, and legal guardian provided written informed consent.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
China1 site
School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Chengdu, Sichuan, 611731
About this study
Official title: Emotional Expression Intensity Modulates Intention Understanding in Children With ASD: Evidence From Eye Tracking and Hidden Markov Modeling
This study used eye-tracking to examine how emotional expression intensity (low/medium/high) influences intention understanding in children with ASD, PDD, and TD during a puzzle-search task.
Read the detailed description
This study examined how emotional expression intensity influences children's intention understanding during a puzzle-search task. Children with ASD, PDD, and typical development (TD) watched videos in which a model searched for a missing puzzle piece under three levels of emotional expression intensity: low, medium, and high. Eye-tracking measures were used to assess both the outcome and the dynamic process of intention understanding.
- Keywords
- emotional expression intensity, eye tracking, hidden Markov modeling (HMM), social cognition
- Medical subject headings
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Group | Not described | |
| Typically Developing (TD) Group | Not described | |
| Intellectual Disability（ID）Group | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
The visitation rate of the AOI
Number of times the gaze enters the AOI per unit time. It measures how frequently the AOI is re-visited. Higher rates indicate repeated returns, reflecting high interest or difficulty disengaging; lower rates suggest rare or brief attention.
Measured: From second 3 to second 30 of the experimental stimulus.
The proportions of fixation duration
fixation duration on an AOI ÷ total fixation duration (or across multiple AOIs). It measures the relative amount of attention allocated to a specific area. Higher proportions indicate prioritized or deeper processing of that region.
Measured: During the full 40 seconds video presentation.
The first fixation latency
The First Fixation Latency = time from TOI onset until the first fixation lands on a predefined object. It measures how fast attention is initially drawn to that object. Shorter latencies indicate higher salience or more efficient search.
Measured: During the full 40 seconds video presentation.
Secondary outcomes (1)
The face fixation transition ratio
Number of gaze transitions from any non-face AOI to a face ÷ total number of gaze transitions. It measures how often attention shifts toward faces. Higher ratios indicate stronger social orienting or difficulty disengaging from faces.
Measured: From second 13 to second 15 of the experimental stimulus.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 May 2026
- Study start15 Dec 2025
- Primary completion29 Jan 2026
- Study completion27 Mar 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Shan Gao, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07597655
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- UESTC-GazeLab-06
- Status last verified
- May 2026
- First submitted
- 6 May 2026
- Last updated
- 19 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- 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 19 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Emotional Expression Intensity Modulates Intention Understanding in Children With ASD: Evidence From Eye Tracking and Hidden Markov Modeling
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07597655
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- UESTC-GazeLab-06
- Keywords
- emotional expression intensity, eye tracking, hidden Markov modeling (HMM), social cognition
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of ChinaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Dec 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 29 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 27 Mar 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 May 2026 (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.
This study used eye-tracking to examine how emotional expression intensity (low/medium/high) influences intention understanding in children with ASD, PDD, and TD during a puzzle-search task.
Detailed description
This study examined how emotional expression intensity influences children's intention understanding during a puzzle-search task. Children with ASD, PDD, and typical development (TD) watched videos in which a model searched for a missing puzzle piece under three levels of emotional expression intensity: low, medium, and high. Eye-tracking measures were used to assess both the outcome and the dynamic process of intention understanding.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Group | – | – |
| Typically Developing (TD) Group | – | – |
| Intellectual Disability（ID）Group | – | – |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 3 to 10 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
- Study population
- Failure to meet the study's group-specific screen cutoffs on the Social Responsiveness Scale(SRS) and ADOS-2; Known genetic syndromes, significant hearing loss, or uncorrectable visual impairment.
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Typically developing children without any developmental or neurological disorders.
- Confirmed clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and reconfirmed by the criteria of the Diagnostic Observation Table for ASD, Second Edition (ADOS-2).
- Confirmed clinical diagnosis of Intellectual Disability and the ADOS-2 with a comparison score below the ASD diagnostic cut-off score (comparison score≤2).
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision, no color vision deficiencies, and legal guardian provided written informed consent.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
The visitation rate of the AOI
Time frame: From second 3 to second 30 of the experimental stimulus.
Number of times the gaze enters the AOI per unit time. It measures how frequently the AOI is re-visited. Higher rates indicate repeated returns, reflecting high interest or difficulty disengaging; lower rates suggest rare or brief attention.
The proportions of fixation duration
Time frame: During the full 40 seconds video presentation.
fixation duration on an AOI ÷ total fixation duration (or across multiple AOIs). It measures the relative amount of attention allocated to a specific area. Higher proportions indicate prioritized or deeper processing of that region.
The first fixation latency
Time frame: During the full 40 seconds video presentation.
The First Fixation Latency = time from TOI onset until the first fixation lands on a predefined object. It measures how fast attention is initially drawn to that object. Shorter latencies indicate higher salience or more efficient search.
1 secondary outcome
The face fixation transition ratio
Time frame: From second 13 to second 15 of the experimental stimulus.
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 19 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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability, run by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China at 1 site in China.
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 3 inclusion and 1 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 19 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 China. 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?
The visitation rate of the AOI (time frame: From second 3 to second 30 of the experimental stimulus.). The study lists 3 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 19 May 2026.