Triadic Interactions of Families With Autism and Oxytocin
Status:
Withdrawn
Trial end date:
2015-05-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The study will investigate the effects of an intranasal administration of oxytocin (OT) to
parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) on the quality of
mother-father-child interactions. Physiological and behavioral measures of parent-child
triadic interaction quality will be assessed.
H1: Parents who receive OT will demonstrate greater parental engagement and nonverbal
prosocial behaviors compared to parents who receive placebo.
H2: Children with ASD whose parents receive OT will have increased nonverbal prosocial
behaviors during the discussion and play tasks compared to children whose parents' receive
placebo.
H3: Parents who receive OT will demonstrate increased behavioral and physiological synchrony
with their child during the discussion and play tasks compared to parents who receive placebo
and their child.