RecruitingNot Applicable

Testing Conversational Agents as a Digital Companion

United States38 participantsStarted 2026-03-21

Plain-language summary

There is a need and opportunity to improve the supports, transitions, and life outcomes of people with autism spectrum disorder. Compared to their neurotypical peers, autistic teenagers and adults report poorer mental health and quality of life and have higher rates of unemployment or underemployment and low participation in post-secondary education. Nearly 40% spend little or no time with friends. Although autism awareness has grown considerably in recent decades, much more can be done to improve the life outcomes for people with autism. Cost-effective, affordable and scalable support systems are needed as well as ongoing assessments and personalized support plans that focus on individual strengths and challenges in different contexts (college, work, community life) across the life span. This requires adaptive interventions and regular consultation with and between stakeholders. It also requires a rigorous approach to measuring outcomes that are not one-size-fits-all and do not expect everyone to reach, or have, the same goals. To meet these needs, the investigators leverage an already successful technology platform with two conversational-relational agents to be a digital companion and coach to autistic young adults (AYA, ages 18 to 35 years). The technology will be used to scale a strong theoretical and conceptual approach that has proven successful in meeting the individual needs and personalized outcomes of autistic students through a collaborative consultation model for promoting competency and success (COMPASS) combined with Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS). To deliver personalized coaching, empathy, and outcomes at scale, GAS/COMPASS was translated into software-driven evidence-based coaching protocols in collaboration with clinical, academic, and community partners. In this study, the digital coaching program and all research protocols are pilot tested in a 10-week experiential trial with AYA.

Who can participate

Age range18 Years – 35 Years

SexALL

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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * formal autism diagnosis per qualified professional. * holds a job, volunteers, or attends college/vocational school where they participate in regular course work, classrooms, settings. * drives or independently uses public transportation/ride share. * makes medical decisions and manages finances. * purchases groceries and cooks meals. * engages in leisure activities with peers. * reads and comprehends spoken and written English. * able to complete surveys and informed consent independently. * able and willing to identify a trusted informant (such as a good friend, parent proxy or mentor who knows them well) for additional context, if needed. (11) 24/7 access to a personal mobile phone with SMS text capability. Exclusion Criteria: * an intellectual disability. * serious mental illness requiring psychiatric evaluation, intervention or in-patient hospitalizations in the past month. * suicidal ideation or attempts in the past month. * diagnosed sleep disorder in the past month. * pregnancy. * planned absences that interfere with study participation.

What they're measuring

Global Mental Health

Timeframe: 10 weeks

Anxiety

Timeframe: 10 weeks

Trial details

NCT IDNCT07533331

SponsorFriendi.fi Corporation

Sponsor typeINDUSTRY

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2026-09

Contact for this trial

Chantal Kerssens, PhD

404-282-0378 chantal@friendi.fi