Assessing Outcomes of Three Different Museum-based Social Prescription Programs in Autistic Adults

August 13, 2026 updated by: National Taiwan University Hospital

Exploring the Feasibility of Social Prescription in People on the Autism Spectrum

This study will examine whether visiting the National Taiwan Museum can support the social and emotional well-being of autistic adults.

The research team plans to recruit 90 autistic adults aged 18 to 50 from the Department of Psychiatry at National Taiwan University Hospital. Participants must have average-range intellectual ability and be able and willing to complete the study activities and assessments. People with serious physical or mental health conditions that would prevent full participation will not be included. Participants must also agree to audio and video recording during the activities.

After an outpatient doctor confirms eligibility, participants will complete questionnaires and choose one of three museum participation options:

  1. Visit the museum once independently.
  2. Join five guided museum visits with group discussions.
  3. Invite a friend to visit the museum together.

Each group will include about 30 participants.

For the guided group, each session will last about 90 minutes and include a professional museum tour, a question-and-answer period, time for independent exploration, and a group discussion. Participants will be encouraged to select exhibits that interest them, record their observations, share their thoughts, listen to others, and respond to different viewpoints.

The five planned museum themes include Taiwan's history and identity, relationships between people and nature, architecture and living spaces, human evolution and the future, and attitudes toward money and financial planning. The discussions will explore everyday topics such as stereotypes, personal values, preferred living environments, hopes for the future, and managing money.

Participants will complete questionnaires before and after the program. These questionnaires will assess areas such as autistic characteristics, social communication, empathy, sensory experiences, comfort with social touch, emotional skills, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and anxiety during social interaction. Participants will also rate how enjoyable, comfortable, safe, interesting, and socially engaging they found the museum activities.

The researchers will compare participants' results before and after the program. They will also compare the three participation options to determine whether independent visits, guided group activities, or visiting with a friend produce different outcomes.

The overall goal is to understand whether museum-based activities can be used as a form of social prescribing to improve social participation, emotional well-being, confidence, and quality of life among autistic adults.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study will evaluate a museum-based social prescribing program for autistic adults with average-range intellectual functioning. Social prescribing is a person-centered approach that connects individuals with nonmedical community resources to support health, well-being, and social participation. Although social prescribing has been applied to people with chronic medical and psychiatric conditions, its effectiveness for autistic adults has not been well established. This study is being conducted through collaboration between the Department of Psychiatry at National Taiwan University Hospital and the National Taiwan Museum.

Approximately 90 autistic adults will be recruited through the outpatient services of National Taiwan University Hospital. After clinical referral and completion of baseline assessments, participants will select one of three museum participation programs, with a target enrollment of approximately 30 participants per group. Because participants choose their preferred program, assignment is nonrandomized.

The three programs are:

  1. **Independent Museum Visit:** Participants will visit the National Taiwan Museum once at a time of their choosing.
  2. **Guided Museum Program:** Participants will attend five structured group sessions, with approximately 10-15 participants per group. Each session will last approximately 90 minutes and will include a museum-guided introduction, a question-and-answer period, independent exploration of selected exhibits, and a facilitated group discussion.
  3. **Museum Visit With a Friend:** Participants will invite a friend or companion to visit the museum with them.

The guided program will use permanent museum exhibitions as prompts for social interaction, reflection, and discussion. Proposed themes include stereotypes and personal identity, relationships between people and nature, ideals and realities of living environments, human evolution and the future, and personal attitudes toward money and financial planning. During the discussion period, participants will share observations or photographs from the exhibits, listen to other participants, provide feedback, and express their own perspectives.

Quantitative assessments will be administered before participation and, for selected measures, after completion of the assigned museum program. Baseline assessments will characterize autism-related traits, social responsiveness, sensory processing, sensory sensitivity, attitudes toward social touch, emotional functioning, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and social interaction anxiety. Post-program assessments will focus on changes in emotional functioning, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and social interaction anxiety, as well as satisfaction with the museum experience.

Participants who complete their selected program may also be invited to take part in a focus group lasting approximately 30-60 minutes. The discussion will explore perceived benefits, difficulties, satisfaction, and recommendations for improving the program. Focus groups will be audio- and video-recorded and transcribed for qualitative analysis.

Quantitative analyses will examine within-participant changes in emotional intelligence, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and social interaction anxiety. Differences among the three participation programs will also be evaluated, including differences in activity satisfaction and changes from baseline. Exploratory analyses will examine whether baseline autism-related, social, and sensory characteristics are associated with program response. Qualitative data will be summarized thematically to identify perceived benefits and areas requiring improvement.

All research records will be identified by study code rather than participant name. Paper records will be stored in locked cabinets, and electronic files, including audio and video recordings, will be stored on password-protected computers. Study data will be retained for 20 years and then destroyed according to institutional procedures.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

90

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
      • Taipei, Taiwan
        • Recruiting
        • National Taiwan University Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Meet the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder.
  • Have intellectual functioning within the normal range.
  • Be willing and able to participate in the study procedures.
  • Be willing to attend the relevant museum activities and group discussions, when applicable.
  • Agree to audio and video recording during relevant study activities.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Are unwilling to complete the required assessments.
  • Have a serious physical or psychiatric condition that limits their physical stamina, emotional capacity, or ability to understand and complete the study procedures.
  • Refuse audio or video recording.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Independent museum visit
Will visit the museum independently on one occasion
Behavioral: Independent museum visit
Visit the museum independently on one occasion
Experimental: Guided museum visits and group discussions
Will attend five structured museum sessions with a group of approximately 10 to 15 participants. Every session will consist of a guided museum visit followed by a facilitated group discussion.
Behavioral: Guided museum visits and group discussions
Participants will attend five structured museum sessions. Each group will include approximately 10 to 15 participants. Every session will consist of a guided museum visit followed by a facilitated group discussion.
Experimental: Museum visit with a friend
Will invite a friend or companion of their choice to visit the museum with them
Behavioral: Museum visit with a friend
Participants will invite a friend or companion of their choice to visit the museum with them.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Activity satisfaction
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention

Participants will also complete an activity evaluation based on the University College London Museum Wellbeing Questionnaire.

The questionnaire contains 12 items rated on a five-point scale from "never" to "always." It assesses whether participants:

Felt happy. Became absorbed in the activity. Felt comfortable and relaxed. Felt safe and secure. Enjoyed the company of others. Enjoyed talking with other people. Found the activity new and interesting. Enjoyed taking part. Found the activity arrangement engaging. Considered the activity entertaining. Felt confident while participating. Experienced a sense of physical and emotional well-being after the activity.

Higher scores suggest greater satisfaction.
Change from baseline to after the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Loneliness
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
Measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, a 20-item measure of loneliness and perceived social isolation. Participants indicate how often they experience feelings described in each item. Higher scores indicate more loneliness.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Emotional intelligence
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
The Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale is a 33-item measure of emotional abilities. It assesses areas such as expressing emotions, understanding one's own emotions, understanding the emotions of others, and using emotions to support problem-solving. Higher scores suggest higher emotional intelligence and functioning.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Social interaction anxiety
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale is a self-report measure of anxiety experienced during interactions with other people. Participants rate how closely each item reflects their usual experiences. Higher scores indicate greater social interaction anxiety.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Depression
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
The Beck Depression Inventory is a 21-item questionnaire used to assess the severity of depressive symptoms. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Anxiety
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
Measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory, a 21-item questionnaire that assesses the severity of anxiety symptoms during the previous month. It covers physical symptoms, nervous-system responses, panic-related symptoms, and subjective feelings of anxiety. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms.
Change from baseline to after the intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Autistic characteristics
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
The Autism Spectrum Quotient is a 50-item questionnaire used to assess autistic characteristics. It may be completed by the participant or an observer. Items are rated using four response options and then converted into binary scores. The total score ranges from 0 to 50, with higher scores indicating more pronounced autistic characteristics.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Empathy
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
The Empathy Quotient is a 40-item questionnaire used to assess empathy-related abilities. It may be completed by the participant or an observer. Items are rated using four response options and converted into binary scores. Lower total scores indicate greater difficulty with empathy.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Social responsiveness
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
The Social Responsiveness Scale is a 65-item measure of autistic characteristics that can be observed in everyday social situations. It assesses social awareness, social information processing, reciprocal social communication, social avoidance, and restricted or repetitive behavior. It may be completed by the participant or a caregiver. Higher scores indicate greater social and behavioral difficulties associated with autism.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Sensory processing patterns
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention

The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile is a 60-item self-report questionnaire that assesses how individuals respond to sensory experiences in daily life. It covers visual, auditory, tactile, taste and smell, body-position, and activity-related experiences.

The measure evaluates four sensory-processing patterns:

Low registration. Sensation seeking. Sensory sensitivity. Sensation avoiding.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Sensory perception
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
The Sensory Perception Quotient is a brief 10-item self-report measure of sensitivity across five sensory systems: vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Each sensory area is assessed using two items. Scores from all items are summed to provide an overall sensory-perception score. Higher scores mean greater sensory perception and sensitivity.
Change from baseline to after the intervention
Social touch sensistivity
Time Frame: Change from baseline to after the intervention
The Social Touch Questionnaire is a 20-item self-report measure used to assess comfort or discomfort with social touch. Items are rated on a five-point scale. Half of the items are reverse-scored. Total scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores reflecting greater discomfort or avoidance related to social touch.
Change from baseline to after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Taiwan University Hospital

Collaborators

National Taiwan Museum

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 13, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 202404073RINA

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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