Virtual reality brain training for young children with autism
Compares virtual reality cognitive training with usual training in young children with autism.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Cognitive Training in Virtual Reality for Autism
Key facts
- Where
- Messina, ItalySee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 4 and 6 years old?
Source: NCT07643649, who can take part
Where in Italy
- Italy Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB) - National Research Council (CNR)Messina, ItalyNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Istituto per la Ricerca e l'Innovazione Biomedica
- Trial code
- NCT07643649
- Record updated
- 11 June 2026
- Original description
The Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS) is an innovative tool for motor and cognitive rehabilitation that has shown promising results in developmental populations, with evidence of feasibility, safety, acceptability, and positive effects on attention, executive functions, and learning-related processes. Its playful and motivating features, together with the possibility of tailoring task difficulty and delivering intensive training in a controlled environment, make VRRS a promising intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who frequently present weaknesses in visual attention, executive functioning, and visuospatial memory.Read full original descriptionShow less
Mind in Motion: Assessing the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Cognitive Training in Neurodivergent Children With Autism
The Virtual Reality Rehabilitation System (VRRS) is an innovative tool for motor and cognitive rehabilitation that has shown promising results in developmental populations, with evidence of feasibility, safety, acceptability, and positive effects on attention, executive functions, and learning-related processes. Its playful and motivating features, together with the possibility of tailoring task difficulty and delivering intensive training in a controlled environment, make VRRS a promising intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who frequently present weaknesses in visual attention, executive functioning, and visuospatial memory.
This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of a VRRS-based cognitive training program in improving visual attention, executive functions, and visuospatial memory in children with ASD, compared with an active control intervention based on conventional cognitive training. Children aged 4 to 6 years 11 months with ASD, non-verbal IQ >70, and no severe neurological or sensory comorbidities will be enrolled and randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The intervention will consist of two 45-minute sessions per week for 12 weeks. VRRS training will include individualized tasks targeting the selected cognitive domains, with adjustable difficulty, execution time, and repetitions. Assessments will be conducted at baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1). At baseline, non-verbal cognitive functioning will be assessed using Leiter International Performance Scale, Third Edition (LEITER-3), while attention, executive functions, and visuospatial memory will be measured using Preschool Executive Functions Assessment Battery (FE-PS), LEITER-3 attention and memory tasks, Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment - Second Edition (NEPSY-II) (Memory for Designs), and Behavior rating inventory of executive function-preschool version (BRIEF-P). The same battery will be repeated after training to compare pre- and post-intervention scores and estimate the relative efficacy of the two approaches.
It is hypothesized that children receiving VRRS-based training will show greater improvements in the targeted cognitive functions than those receiving conventional training, supporting the clinical utility of virtual reality as an effective and engaging rehabilitation approach for children with ASD.
Inclusion: Diagnosis of Autism; QI > 70.
Exclusion: Severe neurological or sensory comorbidities.