Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)NCT07884032
Expression Intensity Modulates Social Intention Understanding in ASD Children
An observational study of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), run by University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Trial summary
Children watch videos of a single model playing with toys, judge whether the model desires a new toy based on observing the model's varying expression intensities, and form a judgment on whether the model intends to obtain a new toy or not. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 5 to 8 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- How many people
- 90 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 10 Oct 2026to 31 Dec 2026
- Phase
- Observational
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 5 to 8 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Study population: An estimated 90 Chinese children participated in this study, with 30 in the TD group, 30 in the ASD group, and 30 in the ID group. Children with ASD and ID were recruited from private or public specialist schools in Chengdu, while TD children were from primary school and kindergarten in Shehong City, Sichuan Province. The average age was 7 years old, including 15 males and 15 females in each group. Eye-tracking data with a sampling rate below 70% will be excluded from analysis.
Who may be able to join
- For the TD group: Typically developing children without any developmental or neurological disorders.
- For the ASD group: Confirmed clinical diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and reconfirmed by the criteria of the Diagnostic Observation Table for ASD, Second Edition (ADOS-2).
- For the ID group: Confirmed clinical diagnosis of Intellectual Disability (ID) and the ADOS-2 with a comparison score below the ASD diagnostic cut-off score (comparison score ≤ 2).
- All groups: Normal or corrected-to-normal vision, no color vision deficiencies.
- All groups: Legal guardian provided written informed consent.
Who cannot join
- 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.
- Uncorrectable visual impairment.
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
Official title: Expression Intensity Modulates Social Intention Understanding in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence From Eye Tracking and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Children watch videos of a single model playing with toys, judge whether the model desires a new toy based on observing the model's varying expression intensities, and form a judgment on whether the model intends to obtain a new toy or not. During this process, children's eye-tracking data are recorded, and changes in blood oxygen levels in the cerebral cortex are captured via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) equipment. This study discusses children's social attention and the corresponding neural mechanisms during the intention understanding process.
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Keywords
- Intention understanding, Expression intensity, eye-tracking, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, social cognition
- Medical subject headings
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Typically Developing Children (TD)group | Not described | |
| Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) 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 proportions of fixation duration
The fixation duration proportion for each area of interest (AOI) was calculated as the ratio of the fixation duration of different AOIs (face, hand) to the total fixation duration of the screen.
Measured: During the first 13 seconds video presentation.
The proportion of fixation duration on the screen displaying correct answers
The ratio of gaze duration on the correct answer screen to total gaze duration during the stage when judging whether the model wanted or did not want the new toy.
Measured: Experimental material video from 18 seconds to 26 seconds
Changes in cerebral cortex blood oxygen concentration
Changes in blood oxygen concentration in the cerebral cortex were monitored throughout the entire experimental procedure.
Measured: Each trial lasts 26 seconds, followed by a 20-second rest interval, for a total of 18 trials.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 Oct 2026
- Study start10 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion10 Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
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
- 90 participants (estimated)
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
- Investigators
- Shan Gao, Dr, Principal investigator, School of Foreign Languages, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07884032
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- UESTC-GazeLab-07
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 8 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 20 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided