A Virtual Dental Office Experience for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The control condition is a social story, which is treatment as usual for preparing clients for their initial visit at Holland Bloorview's dental clinic. The control condition will be delivered through the study tablet. The investigators will ask parents to read it to their child once a day for the week leading up to their appointment. If the child is reading on their own, the investigators will request that parents be in the room with participants while they are. The social story takes approximately five minutes to read.

The 360° video is from the point of view of a seated dental client and the participant will be able to explore the scene around them (navigating through the tablet's touch screen). The simulation will include scenes/features that may be anxiety-provoking for some participants. These will include loud noises commonly encountered in the dentist's office (e.g. tooth brushing, dental drills), as well as social stimuli (e.g. the dental clinician), and new environments (e.g., the dental visit room). The investigators will ensure that participants understand that they can stop at any time (e.g., if they are feeling anxious or overwhelmed), and the investigators will ask parents to explore the 360° video with their child for the week leading up to their appointment.