Virtual Reality to Improve Joint Attention Skills in Children With Autism: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Yazdanian, Hassan; Rekhne, Zohre Bagheri; Soltani, Ariana; Vakili, AmirMohammad; Reza, Mohammad; Zareii, Sajjad; Vahedi, Mohsen; Zarifian, Talieh (2026-01-01)
University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences
01.01.2026
Yazdanian, H., Rekhne, Z. B., Soltani, A., Vakili, A., Reza, M., Zareii, S., Vahedi, M., & Zarifian, T. (2026). Virtual reality to improve joint attention skills in children with autism: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Practice in Clinical Psychology, 14(1), 57–82. https://doi.org/10.32598/jpcp.14.1.1077.1
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode.en), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
© 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode.en), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202602041587
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202602041587
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
Joint attention (JA) deficits are frequently one of the earliest indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making them a crucial focus for early interventions. Despite the importance of JA, existing interventions often face barriers such as high costs, limited adaptability, and resource demands. Virtual reality (VR) offers a novel, immersive, and flexible approach that may overcome these challenges by creating engaging and individualized environments for children with ASD. This protocol describes a randomized controlled trial evaluating a VR-based intervention designed to improve JA and related social-communication skills in school-aged autistic children. Participants will receive either VR therapy plus standard interventions or a sham VR condition plus standard interventions. The primary outcome is JA performance, with secondary outcomes focusing on broader social communication abilities. By testing this innovative, technology-supported intervention in naturalistic school settings, the trial aims to provide high-quality evidence on the feasibility and potential impact of VR as a supplemental therapy for autism. Key limitations include the relatively small sample size and short-term follow-up, which will guide recommendations for larger, long-term studies.
Joint attention (JA) deficits are frequently one of the earliest indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), making them a crucial focus for early interventions. Despite the importance of JA, existing interventions often face barriers such as high costs, limited adaptability, and resource demands. Virtual reality (VR) offers a novel, immersive, and flexible approach that may overcome these challenges by creating engaging and individualized environments for children with ASD. This protocol describes a randomized controlled trial evaluating a VR-based intervention designed to improve JA and related social-communication skills in school-aged autistic children. Participants will receive either VR therapy plus standard interventions or a sham VR condition plus standard interventions. The primary outcome is JA performance, with secondary outcomes focusing on broader social communication abilities. By testing this innovative, technology-supported intervention in naturalistic school settings, the trial aims to provide high-quality evidence on the feasibility and potential impact of VR as a supplemental therapy for autism. Key limitations include the relatively small sample size and short-term follow-up, which will guide recommendations for larger, long-term studies.
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