Research Studies

Emotion-Based Inferences in Children with Autism

To whom it may concern;

My name is Abigail Leibovitch and I am a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst researching perspective-taking skills among children with autism. I am conducting a study that explores how well children with autism are able to make emotion-based inferences when compared to their typically developing peers. I will be the principal investigator under the supervision of my dissertation advisor Dr. William Matthews, professor, School Psychology Program, School of Education, University of Massachusetts.

Because of the nature of this study, I am seeking study participants who meet the following criteria:

Girls or boys between 8 and 11 years of age with a diagnosis of High-Functioning Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified
No diagnosis of cognitive delay (normal IQ)
No diagnosis of ADD, ADHD, or behavioral disorder
No cranio-facial or other structural differences
No other major diagnosis (Down syndrome, etc.)
No hearing or vision problems that can't be corrected (glasses OK)

Participation in the study involves a commitment of approximately one and a half to two hours. During this time, subjects will be administered a number of different measures designed to examine their expressive and receptive language ability and their ability to make emotion-based inferences from written and visual cues. The results of these assessments will be made available to the parents or guardians of the study participants. Subjects will also be given $5 gift certificates to Barnes and Nobles for their participation. I am happy to answer any other questions about the study and can be reached at this e-mail address or by phone at (845) 863-9011.