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Magic tricks may boost social skills in autistic teens, study hopes
NCT ID NCT05664841
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a 6-week virtual magic trick training program can improve social and emotional skills in adolescents with autism. Sixty teens aged 11-18 will learn tricks from a magician and practice presenting them. Researchers will measure changes in social knowledge, loneliness, self-esteem, and friendship quality using questionnaires.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- virtual magic trick training program
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a fun, low-cost way to help teens with autism build social confidence and reduce loneliness.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-phase study with only 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefits are based on self-reported questionnaires, which can be subjective.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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11 to 18 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Confirmed diagnosis (with proof of evidence) of autism; * Aged between 11 and 18 years (younger children may lack the inductive reasoning skills to learn magic tricks); * Have functional hand dexterity to do magic tricks * Intact cognition as indicated by a score above the corresponding cut-off point of the child's age on the Mini-Mental Examination for Children; and * Access to internet and a computer or smartphone that can perform videoconferencing. Exclusion Criteria: * Severe hearing or visual impairments that prevent online learning; * Previous participation in organized magic learning program or camp; * Current or planned participation in psychological therapy or a clinical trial during the study period that could affect the outcomes of the study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Alabama at Birmingham
RECRUITINGBirmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can visual cues unlock sentence building in children with language delays?
- Museums as medicine? a trial tests social prescribing for autism
- Gentle massage and calming sounds: a new bedtime ritual for autistic kids?
- Can a camera catch autism signs in preemie toddlers?