The Impact of Sensory Integration on Attention in Autism
How the Simultaneous or Delayed Presentation of Visual and Auditory Stimuli Affects Response Accuracy and Reaction Times in Participants With Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) During an Association Task.
About This Trial
The study aims to examine how the mode of presentation of visual and auditory stimuli-separate or simultaneous-affects accuracy and reaction time in visual-auditory association in participants with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) compared to neurotypical individuals. The study aims to evaluate whether sensory overlap (simultaneous stimuli) increases cognitive load and decreases performance, while stimulus separation (separate presentation of visual and auditory stimuli) may facilitate processing and improve performance, especially in participants with ASC. Participants will be divided into two main groups: the first consisting of individuals with ASD and the second of neurotypical individuals. Each group will be exposed to two modes of stimulus presentation: simultaneous mode, in which visual and auditory stimuli are presented at the same time, and separate mode, in which visual and auditory stimuli are presented separately with a time interval between each. Participants will be required to complete visual-auditory association tasks. In addition to assessment of reaction time and accuracy, psychophysiological parameters will be recorded to measure cognitive load and physiological reaction to stimuli. The main hypotheses are that the simultaneous presentation of visual and auditory stimuli will increase cognitive load and reduce accuracy and reaction time in individuals with ASC, while the separate mode will improve performance, especially in the group with ASC. This study could provide important insights into how stimulus presentation mode affects learning and performance in participants with ASC, suggesting that stimulus separation could be a useful strategy for optimizing sensory processing and improving learning in educational and therapeutic settings.
Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)
Original Eligibility Criteria
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Treatments Being Tested
Autism Spectum Conditions - intervention
Initially, participants will participate in a familiarization session in which they will see and hear all pairs of pictures and sounds without any associated task, thus ensuring adequate understanding of the stimuli. Next, each child will be tested for each predicted condition, receiving clear instructions on the task: they will have to indicate whether the picture and sound are related. The main task consists of presenting 40 pairs of image-sound stimuli. For each pair, participants must answer the question, "Does what you saw match what you heard?" using a keypad with a green key for "Yes" and a red key for "No." Each condition includes 10 trials, distributed randomly, with short breaks between them to keep participants focused.
Typical Development - intervention
Initially, participants will participate in a familiarization session in which they will see and hear all pairs of pictures and sounds without any associated task, thus ensuring adequate understanding of the stimuli. Next, each child will be tested for each predicted condition, receiving clear instructions on the task: they will have to indicate whether the picture and sound are related. The main task consists of presenting 40 pairs of image-sound stimuli. For each pair, participants must answer the question, "Does what you saw match what you heard?" using a keypad with a green key for "Yes" and a red key for "No." Each condition includes 10 trials, distributed randomly, with short breaks between them to keep participants focused.