Effectiveness and Mechanism of Online Peer Companion Intervention on Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Ordinary children would be paired with ASD children before the interventions. Dyads in the OPCI would have a total of 12 sessions within two months, each lasting 30-60 minutes. The longest interval between two sessions couldn't exceed two weeks. Researchers would recommend a series of companion themes for children to choose from (e.g., daily sharing and drawing). Ordinary children and ASD children need to discuss activities that are of mutual interest before each session. A researcher assistant would be online to ensure the normal development of the interventions and be responsible for video recording of the exchanges at the beginning of each session. Except for extreme circumstances, he or she would turn off the video and sound throughout the process and withdraw soon. During the interventions, parents would play a supporting role when children express needs without over-involvement.

Dyads in the WLG would only participate in preliminary training and measurement during the implementation of the intervention. After completing the post-test, this study will implement the same online peer companionship intervention.