Course of Face-to-face Interactions in Adults With Autism

NCT06925308 | Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 559902
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This research explores how adults with autism make eye contact during formal and informal interactions; to what extent the nature of a conversation influences how eye contact is made in terms of length, frequency and overall presentation. Also what physiological responses to eye contact are, in order to determine to what extent eye contact leads to an increased, decreased or unchanged stress level. In addition, to gain insight into the similarities and differences in how people with ASD respond to eye contact of others compared to their own eye contact.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Neurotypical

Keywords

Eye contact; Autism Spectrum Disorder; ASD; Experiment; Neurotypical; Interaction; Physiology; Reflection

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Frequency of eye contact in adults with autism, measured with video, audio and push button.

  The research consists of two parts. During the first part, the conversation, the frequency of eye contact will be investigated. This will be measured by video recordings of the eye region combined with the pressing of a push button by the researcher at moments when eye contact is present. Data will be analyzed using software programs Observer XT and Matlab for the integration of push button, video recordings and audio recordings.

  Baseline

• Duration of eye contact in adults with autism, measured with video, audio and push button.

  The research consists of two parts. During the first part, the conversation, the duration of eye contact will be investigated. This will be measured by video recordings of the eye region combined with the pressing of a push button by the researcher at moments when eye contact is present. Data will be analyzed using software programs Observer XT and Matlab for the integration of push button, video recordings and audio recordings.

  Baseline

• Arousal during eye contact in adults with autism, measured with skin conductance

  The research consists of two parts. During the first part, the arousal during eye contact will be investigated. This will be measured by a skin conductance meter and analysed with the software program VSRRP.

  Baseline

• Arousal during reflection on ones own eye contact in adults with autism, measured with skin conductance

  During the second part, the reflection on video recordings of ones own eye contact in aduls with autism, the degree of arousal to seeing their own eye contact will be investigated. For this, skin conductance meter will be used and analysed with the software program VSRRP.

  Baseline

• Reflection on ones own eye contact in adults with autism, measured with video and audio

  During the second part, reflection first part, it will be investigated how subjects respond with words. For this, audio and video recordings will be used. Data analysis will be conducted with use of thematic analysis and software programs Atlas.ti, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.

  Baseline

Study Arms (1)

Social interaction

EXPERIMENTAL

Received intervention is a social interaction on which is reflected afterwards, in adults with and without autism, living in The Netherlands.

Behavioral: Conversation

Interventions

Conversation BEHAVIORAL

The design consists of two parts. In the first part, the researcher will have a conversation (with a formal and informal phase, where the subject will be given the idea that only the formal part is part of the study) with an adult with ASD during which covert recordings of the subject's eye behavior will be made, and in addition skin conductance and duration/frequency of eye contact of the subject will be recorded, without the subject knowing that this is intended for the purpose of studying eye contact. In the second part, the researcher and subject will watch the covert recording of the subject's eye behavior, during which the subject's skin conductance will be recorded and details of the subject's behavior as seen by the researcher.

Social interaction

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Neurotypical adults and adults with an ASD, determined according to an internationally recognized classification system.
• Able to understand the instructions.
• Motivation to participate in research.

You may not qualify if:

• No good command of the Dutch language.
• Use of alcohol and/or recreational drugs during the research.
• Mentally too unstable to participate in the research.
• Familiarity with treatment in the VGZ.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• UMC Utrecht: lead
• Dimence Groep: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Dimence Groep

Deventer, Overijssel, 7416 SB, Netherlands

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Nynke Boonstra, Professor

  UMC Utrecht

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Jos Boer, MSc

CONTACT

+31 6 20083507; j.c.boer-30@umcutrecht.nl

Nynke Boonstra, Professor

CONTACT

tboonst2@umcutrecht.nl

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: MSc

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 28, 2025
• First Posted: April 13, 2025
• Study Start: February 3, 2025
• Primary Completion: September 30, 2025
• Study Completion: April 30, 2026
• Last Updated: April 13, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Locations

NL (1)