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ATLAS sought out adolescents and young adults who:<\/p>\n
Additionally, because ATLAS required participants to play a video game<\/a>, eligible participants had:<\/p>\n Further, because we studied auditory attention through noninvasive brain imaging (i.e., EEG), we sought participants who:<\/p>\n Although the adolescents\/young adults played the video game, we also sought out families with caregivers who would be able to support their child by ensuring that they played the video game \u2265 3\/week for \u2265 20 min\/day for 4 weeks.<\/p>\n Broadly, participation in ATLAS involved visits (about 2-3) to CARE for behavioral assessments\/questionnaires and EEG testing<\/a>, as well as access to a video game that was designed to target auditory attention. Because ATLAS was an intervention study, we tried to see if the video game changed participants\u2019 auditory sensitivity (as measured by the behavioral assessments\/questionnaires) and\/or brain responses to sounds (as measured by the EEG). In order to measure this change, we had two groups: a group where participants played the video game (the intervention group) for 4 weeks and a group where participants waited (the wait list group) to play the video game for 4 weeks. In this way, access to the game was not a matter of “if” but, rather, a matter of “when”. Group assignment was completely<\/em> random.<\/p>\n Initially, all participants visited CARE for behavioral assessments and an EEG task. Then, families assigned to play the video game received video game training and technical support. Participants in this group were asked to play the video game for at least 3 days a week for 20 minutes each day. Participants who were assigned to the wait-list group resumed their typical daily activities for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, all participants were asked to return to CARE to complete those same behavioral assessments and EEG task.<\/p>\n After this second visit, participants assigned to the wait list group were also taught to play the video game. If wait list participants and their families wanted to, they were invited to also play the video game for 4 weeks for 3 days a week for 20 minutes each day and to come back to the lab for a third visit where they would complete the same behavioral assessments and EEG task. That was optional! Wait list families may have decided not to do this.<\/p>\n Read more about the ATLAS intervention here<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n
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What did the study involve?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
![\"The](\"\/autism\/files\/2019\/07\/silentservice1-e1564411856642-176x300.jpg\")
Questions?<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n