Research Studies

As of December 13, 2006, research studies will be removed from this page approximately two years after being posted, unless a different timeframe is specified. Researchers are strongly advised to contact us with new information about their studies periodically.

Click here to Submit a Research Study.

Brain Correlates of Social Interaction in ASD - We are a group of researchers are MIT. Our goal is to understand what brain areas are involved in typical social interaction and how these might differ in people with high functioning autism or Asperger's.
Added 7/28/10

Sensory Information Processing - We are neuroscientists at MIT studying how the brain makes sense of complex sensory information. Our study requires a 45 minute visit and pays $20. We are looking for adult subjects aged 18 years and older.
Added 6/22/10

fMRI Study of Moral Judgement in 18+ year olds with ASD - We are paying $80 for participation in our fMRI study about the brain areas involved in making moral judgements and how these might differ in people with high functioning autism or Asperger's (aged 18+).
Added 6/11/10

Research Opportunities at Boston University - Have fun while helping us learn more about the development of the language! Children with autism spectrum disorders between 5 and 10 years old. Come participate in computer games and other activities. Participants and families will receive gift certificates or money for participation. Travel and parking will be covered.
Added 6/1/10

“Look Who’s Talking!” Research study at the Shriver Center - This study looks at what children and adolescents pay attention to when listening to people speak in face-to-face conversation. We are particularly interested in observing the reactions of children and adolescents (ages 8-17) with autism spectrum disorders and their typically developing peers.
Added 5/24/10

Foundations of Learning in Children with and without Developmental Disabilities - a research study whose purpose is to develop and/or improve on educational procedures for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Added 5/24/10

Children ages 8-12 Needed to Participate in Research! - We are beginning a study to examine how young children ages 8-12 years search for information in complex scenes, and how attention may help them search. We wish to examine how autism affects visual attention and will compare typically developing children with children who have been diagnosed with autism.
Added 5/24/10

Language and Communication Research at the University of Connecticut - University of Connecticut researchers are working to understand the building blocks of language and communication in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Many individuals with ASD have volunteered to be in our study; now we are looking for just a few more people to participate! If you are at all interested in our work, please let us know!
Added 5/16/10

Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study of their Surgical Experiences - I am studying personal accounts of surgical experiences of persons with an ASD. I am studying this phenomenon to understand how nurses can support individuals with an ASD and their families in a more caring and effective manner when having surgery. My study will be conducted entirely through email interviews.
Added 5/7/10

Autism and Health Care Survey from Washington State University - Our research focuses on the experiences of children with autism and their families with health care settings. We would very much appreciate it if your organization could help us recruit participants for our survey.
Added 4/22/10

Are there more migraineurs among mothers of autistic children than in the general population? - It seems like a high number of mothers of autistic children suffer from migraines. If this is actually the case, this observation could open new questions about possible causes of autism. By completing this survey you can help us have a better understanding of the etiology of autism.
Added 4/22/10

Belongingness, Social Support, and Identity in Adolescence - Your participation in a research project is requested, which involves completing a brief online survey. The title of the study is "Belongingness, Social Support, and Identity in Adolescence". Michigan State University graduate student, Carolyn Hayter, supervised by Dr. Evelyn Oka, is conducting the research. Specifically, the study examines how students and their parents view adolescents’ school experiences to better understand ways to help them to succeed in school. Middle school and high school students and their parents are invited to participate in this research.
Added 4/20/10

fMRI Correlates of Social Interaction in 18-40 year olds with ASD - Our goal is to understand what brain areas are involved in typical social interaction and how these might differ in people with high functioning autism or Asperger’s. We will ask you to participate in an assessment and a brain scan. Payment for the study is $30/hour.
Added 4/12/10

Participant Database for Persons Interested in Research Studies of Developmental Disorders - Healthy Children and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Ages 6 to 13 Needed for Research Studies at MGH! You will be compensated for your time ($20-$50/hour) and travel.
Added 4/6/10

Brain Responses to Fearful Faces in Autism - The study involves visits to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. On each visit, you will participate in a different kind of brain imaging while you look at faces and houses. All brain imaging techniques used are safe and non-invasive.
Added 4/1/10

Impact of Pressure-Based Therapies on Anxiety in Autism Spectrum Conditions - Study examines how different pressure-based therapies (e.g. weighted clothing, massage, sand bags)affect anxiety in autism spectrum conditions. Children with ASD ages 3-13 welcome. Through April 2010.
Added 3/12/10

Research on Autism and Related Developmental Disorders - The Developmental Disorders Genetics Research Program (DDGRP) at Bradley Hospital and Brown University is looking for genes involved in autism and related disorders, such as intellectual disability (formerly known as mental retardation).
Added 2/22/10

Adaptive Behavior and ASD - We are looking for parents of children/youth with ASD to review an adaptive behavior survey. Parents will engage in an on-line focus group forum (14 day active discussion period). The information will be used to develop a better way to understand how children/youth with ASD are managing the daily tasks.
Added 1/25/10

Autism and Menstruation - Are you the parent or caregiver of a girl with autism spectrum disorder? Is she between the ages of 10-25? If so, then please check out this website with a 15 minutes survey.
Added 1/15/10

SPARC Walking Club - A walking and physical activity program for teens ages 12-17 with Autism Spectrum Disorders with moderate needs.
Added 1/6/10

Study of Visual and Cognitive Functions in Autism - Normal and Abnormal Development of Visual Functioning in Adolescents The goal of this study is to understand and characterize the development of visual and cognitive processes in normal and abnormal development.
Added 12/5/09

Auditory Sensitivity Intervention at MIT Media Lab - In this study, we use fun, engaging, games and media experiences to help individuals gradually get used to sounds that they might ordinarily find frightening or painful.
Added 12/3/09

Prospective Multisystem Evaluation of Infants at Risk for Autism - Research Study Seeking… Mothers of a child diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder who is pregnant, or who has a newborn less than 4 months old.
Added 11/25/09

Understanding the Brain in Autism Spectrum Disorders - We are studying brain processing of emotions in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in males between the ages of 14 and 20.
Updated 11/4/09

The Development of Social Information Processing in Boys with Asperger's Syndrome - We are interested in working with boys ages 8-11 throughout New England. Participants either have been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome or do not have any history of medical or academic problems.
Updated 10/24/09

Phenotypic and Genetic Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorders - We are a research group at Children’s Hospital Boston studying the possible genetic and environmental causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We are seeking interested families with a child with a diagnosis of ASD ages 2+.
Added 10/5/09

ASD and Periods - This is a research study on autism and menstruation. Parents of girls with ASD between the ages of 10-25 are needed to learn more about the struggles they are their families have with menstruation.
Added 7/22/09

Language Development Research Study at Harvard University - This is a research laboratory investigating language development in Asperger's Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Added 7/6/09

Reading Styles of Mothers with Sons with an Autism Spectrum Disorder - This is a dissertation on mothers’ experience with reading with their children with an autism spectrum disorder ages 3-6. Participation includes two short home visits (1/2 hour each). Mothers read a story with their children and complete a questionnaire. Sessions will be videotaped. $10.00 Barnes & Noble card when completed.
Added 7/1/09

Understanding the Social Brain in Autism - Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine are using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the brain bases of social behavior in males between the ages of 16 and 40 with a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger’s.
Added 5/27/09

Time Use Study of Adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: Media and Friends - This study explores how adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder spend their free time. We will focus on what television programs they watch, what they are doing when using a computer and how they spend time with friends.
Added 5/13/09

College Students with Asperger's Syndrome: Perspectives on the Transition to College - We are seeking respondents for an anonymous survey designed to provide insight into the perspectives of college students with AS on their experience with the transition from high school to college.
Added 5/4/09

Survey of Feeding and Digestive Problems in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) - We are conducting a survey of parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) to determine the extent of feeding and gastrointestinal problems among children with ASD and their siblings.
Added 4/10/09

The Detection Study will examine how young children (with and without autism) ages 9-11 years search for information in complex scenes, and how attention may help them search.
Added 4/7/09

Demands of Higher Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) - Our goal is to understand how social anxiety may be experienced differently in children with Asperger's Disorder.
Added 3/25/09

Study of Social Anxiety in Asperger's Disorder - Our goal is to understand how social anxiety may be experienced differently in children with Asperger's Disorder.
Added 3/25/09

How Having AS Impacts upon the Lives of Young Adults - This study is examining the behavioral impact of AS on young adults aged 18 to 34 by means of an anonymous on-line survey that takes approximately 25 minutes to complete.
Added 2/20/09

Challenges Faced by Parents/Guardians of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum - We are investigating the experiences and challenges faced by parents/guardians of adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum.
Added 1/20/09

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Contextual Processing in Schizophrenia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - We are looking for volunteers ages 16-60, fluent in English, have no history of head injury or neurological illness, to participate in a brain imaging study of the voluntary control of eye movements.
Added 1/7/09

Treatment Priorities for Children with Developmental Disabilities - The purpose of this survey is to identify the types of treatment priorities that parents have for their children with developmental disabilities and whether these priorities differ for different types of children and families.
Added 12/1/08

Self-care among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) - We are gathering information on stresses, unmet needs, supports, and barriers to health & wellness self-care among MOTHERS of children with ASD.
Added 11/10/08

Chatterboxes: Language Development Study - The Gabrieli Lab studies language development in all children, including children who have difficulties learning language and reading. They use a "brain camera", fMRI, which is a safe method for recording children's brain activity.
Added 10/29/08

Age of Disclosure: ASDs in Youth - This survey is designed to gather opinions in the ASD community (ASD individuals, family members, professionals who work with ASD individuals) about when the appropriate time to disclose an ASD diagnosis to youth is, and what factors influence this disclosure.
Added 9/16/08