Randomized Controlled Trial of Mind Reading and In Vivo Rehearsal for High-Functioning Children with ASD.

Ohan et al. (2015) split 7- to 12-year-olds with high-functioning autism into two groups. One group used the Mind Reading computer game plus real-life practice. The other group kept their usual routine.

Kids played the game, then acted out the same feelings with a therapist. The team tested emotion skills and autism signs before, after, and five weeks later.

The game-plus-practice group read faces better than the control group right after training. They also showed fewer autism symptoms.

The gains held up five weeks later. No extra therapy hours were needed.

Vasilevska Petrovska et al. (2019) topped these results. Their 12-hour computer-only program gave bigger emotion gains across a wider age and IQ range. The new study shows adding live rehearsal is helpful, but pure software can work even faster.

Whaling et al. (2025) pooled 595 autistic participants and confirmed the quick boost. Yet they warn the skill fades and does not spread to wider social skills. Ohan et al. (2015) saw the same short-lived pattern.

Sharp et al. (2010) piloted the same Mind Reading game without live practice. Effects were weak. The 2015 study proves the extra rehearsal step matters.

You can add Mind Reading software to your toolkit for face-emotion drills. Expect a quick jump in labeling feelings, but plan booster sessions. Pair the game with real-life role play to lock in the skill. Track data after two months to see if gains stick.