Artificial Intelligence-Supported Digital Game and Exercise Applications in Children With Autism and Typically Developing Children

August 31, 2026 updated by: Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Examining the Effects of Artificial Intelligence-Supported Digital Game and Exercise Applications on Children With Autism and Typically Developing Children With a Holistic Approach

The goal of this study is to learn how artificial intelligence-supported digital games and exercise activities affect children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children aged 6 to 10 years. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Do the digital game and exercise activities improve children's motor skills? Do the activities affect repetitive behaviors, working memory, and brain activity?

Researchers will compare children who take part in the digital game and exercise activities with children who do not take part in these activities.

Participants will complete assessments before and after the study. Children in the intervention group will take part in artificial intelligence-supported digital game and exercise activities. Researchers will assess children's motor skills, working memory, behaviors, and brain activity.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study will examine the effects of artificial intelligence-supported digital game and exercise applications on children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children using a holistic approach. The study will include 60 children aged 6 to 10 years, including 30 children with autism spectrum disorder and 30 typically developing children.

Participants will be assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group will include 15 children with autism spectrum disorder and 15 typically developing children. The control group will include 15 children with autism spectrum disorder and 15 typically developing children. Children in the intervention group will participate in artificial intelligence-supported digital game and exercise activities, while children in the control group will not receive this intervention.

The study will examine changes in motor skills, repetitive behaviors, working memory, and brain activity. Quantitative assessments will include standardized measures and electroencephalography (EEG). Qualitative information will also be collected from parents to provide a broader understanding of children's experiences and development.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

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

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

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 6-10 years.
  • Written informed consent from a parent or legal guardian.
  • Ability to understand and follow simple verbal instructions.
  • Ability to stand independently and perform basic locomotor movements.
  • For participants in the ASD groups: a physician-confirmed diagnosis of autism -spectrum disorder (ASD) with mild to moderate severity.
  • For typically developing participants: typical development without a diagnosis of ASD or another neurodevelopmental disorder.
  • For typically developing participants: no known neurological, orthopedic, or cardiovascular condition that would interfere with participation in the study activities.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Orthopedic surgery within the previous 6 months.
  • Presence of a neurological, orthopedic, or cardiovascular condition that may limit participation in movement-based activities.
  • An acute health condition that prevents participation in physical activity.
  • For typically developing participants: presence of a diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder.
  • Inability to complete the planned assessments or participate safely in the study activities.
  • For participants assigned to an intervention group: expected attendance of less than 80% of the planned intervention sessions.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ASD Intervention Group
Children with autism spectrum disorder assigned to the intervention group will participate in the artificial intelligence-supported digital game and exercise program.
Behavioral: Movement-Based Digital Game Intervention
The intervention consists of a 10-week movement-based digital game program specifically developed for children aged 6-10 years. Participants in the intervention groups will attend two sessions per week, with each session lasting approximately 60 minutes. Sessions include warm-up, movement-based digital game activities, and cool-down. The digital games are delivered using an interactive projection system and require children to perform active body movements in response to visual and game-based tasks. Activities progressively target balance, coordination, locomotor skills, object control, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, rhythm, reaching, jumping, changing direction, body awareness, and target-directed movements. Game difficulty and movement demands are progressively adjusted throughout the intervention period.
No Intervention: ASD Control Group
Children with autism spectrum disorder assigned to the control group will not participate in the artificial intelligence-supported digital game and exercise intervention.
Experimental: Typically Developing Intervention Group
Typically developing children assigned to the intervention group will participate in the artificial intelligence-supported digital game and exercise program.
Behavioral: Movement-Based Digital Game Intervention
The intervention consists of a 10-week movement-based digital game program specifically developed for children aged 6-10 years. Participants in the intervention groups will attend two sessions per week, with each session lasting approximately 60 minutes. Sessions include warm-up, movement-based digital game activities, and cool-down. The digital games are delivered using an interactive projection system and require children to perform active body movements in response to visual and game-based tasks. Activities progressively target balance, coordination, locomotor skills, object control, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, rhythm, reaching, jumping, changing direction, body awareness, and target-directed movements. Game difficulty and movement demands are progressively adjusted throughout the intervention period.
No Intervention: Typically Developing Control Group
Typically developing children assigned to the control group will not participate in the artificial intelligence-supported digital game and exercise intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Motor Skill Performance
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the 10-week intervention
Motor skill performance will be assessed using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition, Short Form (BOT-2 SF). The assessment provides a total motor proficiency score based on tasks evaluating different aspects of motor performance. Higher scores indicate better motor performance.
Baseline and immediately after the 10-week intervention
Repetitive Behaviors Assessed With the TEDÖ-R-TV
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the 10-week intervention
Repetitive behaviors will be assessed using the Turkish Version of the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (TEDÖ-R-TV). The total score obtained from the scale will be used to evaluate change in repetitive behaviors from pre-intervention to post-intervention.
Baseline and immediately after the 10-week intervention
Working Memory Assessed With the Working Memory Scale (ÇBÖ)
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the 10-week intervention
Working memory will be assessed using the Working Memory Scale (ÇBÖ) developed by Ergül, Özgür-Yılmaz, and Demir. The scale assesses four domains: verbal short-term memory, visual short-term memory, verbal working memory, and visual working memory, through nine subscales. Pre-intervention and post-intervention scores will be compared to evaluate changes in working memory performance.
Baseline and immediately after the 10-week intervention
Brain Activity Assessed With Electroencephalography (EEG)
Time Frame: Baseline and immediately after the 10-week intervention
Brain activity will be assessed using electroencephalography (EEG) before and after the intervention. EEG recordings will be used to evaluate changes in brain activity associated with the artificial intelligence-supported digital game and exercise intervention.
Baseline and immediately after the 10-week intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

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 (Estimated)

September 30, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 31, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 31, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

September 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 31, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 224S961-MAIN
  • 224S961 (Other Grant/Funding Number: The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared due to participant privacy and confidentiality considerations. The study involves children, including children with autism spectrum disorder, and the informed consent process does not include provisions for sharing individual-level data with other researchers.

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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