Research Studies
AANE maintains this listing of current research for the community's information and possible participation. Researchers are invited to submit their studies.
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. To submit a new study or to make updates to a previously submitted study, use the link below.
Organization: Adelphi University Website: www.growingkindminds.com/ Contact: Victoria Grinman (646) 522-0628 victoriagrinman@mail.adelphi.edu Description: If you are a parent of a child who is currently between the ages of 18-26, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and you feel you have found benefits or growth through your... more
Organization: Harvard/MGH Martinos Center Contact: Noreen Ward: noreen@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu This study aims at using new MR technologies to examine wether we can observe, at the individual level, microscopic changes that have been previously described by researchers who were using histology to look at brains of individuals with ASD.
The... more
Adolescent Well-Being Study
05/15/2018
Organization: University of Massachusetts Amherst Website: developmentalmilestoneslab.com Contact: Ashley Woodman, Ph.D. awoodman@psych.umass.edu Description: We are seeking adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) age 13-22 and their parents to participate in a study on adolescent well-being. Who can... more
Conducted by: Clemson University The purpose of our research is to explore how individuals with Autism use everyday objects. The research we collect may help us to understand more about the factors that impact the way various individuals perceive and use objects. We will collect this data though an online survey. The survey will display an... more
The goal of this research is to understand the eating experiences, eating disturbances, eating habits, and fruit and vegetable intake of adults on the Autism Spectrum. It also aims to include the direct perspectives of individuals on the Autism Spectrum in research on these topics.
This research involves responding to an anonymous online survey... more
The Influence of Coparenting Support on Fathers’ Involvement with their Children with Autism
03/07/2018
Attention fathers of children with autism aged 4 to 11 years! Share your opinions with researchers at the University of Windsor in an online survey about your parenting experiences. It takes about 30 minutes. You will be offered a $5 Donation gift card that can be redeemed as a donation to thousands of charities across Canada, including over 200... more
Children (aged 12-16) who have been diagnosed with ASD and are interested in cartoons are invited to share their experiences about emotions in cartoons. Participation includes a 30-45 minute confidential interview with each participant (parents may be in the room during the duration of the interview) and can take place in Newton, Worcester, or... more
My name is Sarah Tuberman and I am a student at California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University - San Diego. I am studying ways that children look at objects and their hands/fingers, and how these behaviors might be related to later autism symptoms and daily functioning.
The purpose of the research is to learn if... more
Seeking Study Participants with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: "What is the study about?"
The main purpose of this study is to investigate brain plasticity in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Research suggests that during development the brains of individuals with ASD may change in response to their experiences... more
Do you have a child with autism, aspergers or pdd-nos, who is between the ages of 11-18 years old? Are you interested in helping to identify more ways to improve your child’s self-monitoring behavior and emotion regulation? Would you like to participate in the development of effective support strategies to help your child learn to make new... more
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in partnership with Family Empowerment (a division of Pathlight), are seeking parents of children, adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to complete a survey on use of respite care and related services. Previous use of respite care is not required for... more
A Model of Parental Involvement in the Music Education of Students with Special Education Needs
01/19/2018
I am a music teacher/Ph.D. candidate at the University of Miami and I am doing research on the topic of parent involvement in the music education of students with special education needs. The purpose of this study is to examine what influences the development of effective relationships between schools, music teachers, and parents. If your child... more
This survey is for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or a learning disability (LD) who completed high school in the United States. Please complete this on-line survey to participate in a project that helps to create guides for current high school students, teachers, and parents to make the school experience feel more successful for... more
The aV1ation Study
12/08/2017
Website: https://childadolescentpsych.cumc.columbia.edu/professionals/research-programs/veenstra-vanderweele-lab The Translational Medicine Program at the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain is recruiting individuals with autism from 5 – 17 years of age to participate in our study called aV1ation. The purpose of this study is to test... more
The Mealtime Experiences research study is a new project at the E.K. Shriver Center at UMass Medical School. The purpose of the study is to learn directly from youth (18-23 yrs.) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism, Asperger’s, or PDD-NOS) who dislike a lot of foods or eat fewer foods than most people their age and whether their food... more
For those in 11th & 12th grade: We are looking for current high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Learning Disabilities (LD) to participate in a project that helps to create guides for high school students, teachers, and parents to make the school experience feel more successful for those with ASD or LD. Focus groups... more
Student Voices -out of high school 1-3 years
12/01/2017
For Those Out of High School 1-3 Years: We are looking for recent high school graduates with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Learning Disabilities (LD) to participate in a project that helps to create guides for current high school students, teachers, and parents to make the school experience feel more successful for those with ASD or... more
Parents or primary caregivers of non-communicative children with autism are needed for this study, and will be requested to complete the packet given via the provided URL. The study consists of several measures consisting of mostly multiple-choice responses related to a child's quality of life, as well as related areas of interest such as familial... more
The mission of SPARK — an online research partnership involving 50,000 individuals with autism and their families — is simple. We want to speed up research and advance understanding of autism. Help us spark better futures for all individuals and families affected by autism. SPARK for Autism Research Study, Boston Children’s... more
Website: http://sites.bu.edu/roadahead/ Boston University is now recruiting Massachusetts parents and their high school students with ASD to participate in an 18-month longitudinal study on the post-school outcomes of students with ASD. We are looking for students with ASD who are in their last year of high school and who will graduate with a... more
Sometimes new drivers, including teens with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD), have a hard time visually detecting critical items and anticipating a needed response to objects and other traffic indicators of a potentially hazardous situation. These critical items include traffic signs such as speed limit, stop and yield signs, as... more
I am looking for participants who were not diagnosed with autism as children who then attempted to get a diagnosis at the age of 18 or older, regardless of whether or not they were successful in getting this diagnosis. My study only involves answering a questionnaire. I am interested in what struggles autistic people have faced in attempting to... more
The study will examine disruptive behavior problems, internalizing symptoms, parental distress, and parenting practices in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ASD+ADHD, and typically-developing (TD) children. Specifically, the proposed study will examine how levels of child disruptive... more
The Influence of Coparenting Support on Fathers’ Involvement with their Children with Autism
06/30/2017
Attention fathers of children with autism aged 4 to 11 years! Share your opinions with researchers at the University of Windsor in an online survey about your parenting experiences. It takes about 30 minutes. You will be offered a $5 Donation gift card that can be redeemed as a donation to thousands of charities across Canada, including over... more
Researchers at MIT and Northeastern University are studying how children interact with moving objects. Using fun activities like sports and video games, we hope to learn about cognitive and motor processes that may be different in autism. Who can participate?
Children 7-12 years old can participate. Children with or without a diagnosis of... more
Decision Making in Autism Spectrum Disorder
06/23/2017
Dr. John Knutsen at MassGeneral Hospital for Children is leading a study to help improve the care for children with ASD. The goal of our project is to identify ways to improve and make easier communication between parents of young children diagnosed within the past two years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their child’s pediatrician and... more
Sidekicks – Autism Technology Focus Group
06/07/2017
Sidekicks is a Boston-based technology start-up that is creating new products to support autistic individuals and their care teams. We are currently recruiting autistic individuals, autism parents, special educators, and professionals to participate in a focus group. Time Commitment: 60 minutes
Location: 25 Mt Auburn St. Suite 100. Cambridge,... more
Parent Treatment Choice
06/02/2017
We are currently examining what autism treatments teachers/parents have seen implemented, find effective, and thoughts about the treatment effectiveness. We are using a survey to inquire about those treatments. The number of questions will depend upon the participant's experience with different autism treatments. Teacher... more
Boston University is doing a research study to develop a new program to increase siblings’ involvement in future planning for their brother/sister with autism spectrum disorder. We are looking for siblings, service providers, and adults with autism for this study. If you participate, you will either participate in a focus group or a... more
Website: https://www.bu.edu/autism/ We are testing the effectiveness of two speech interventions designed to help minimally verbal children with ASD learn to produce speech sounds, words, and simple phrases. Using noninvasive methods to record brain activity, we are seeking to identify brain ‘markers’ that could (1) help predict the kinds... more
Brain Systems for Language
05/26/2017
Our primary mission is to advance scientific knowledge about language and social communication in people with ASD. This study focuses on adolescents aged 8-21 using behavioral, brain, and cognitive measures. The goal is to understand the range of language abilities, particularly the brain systems that may explain why people with ASD have... more
Sidekicks – Technology Usability Study
05/12/2017
Sidekicks is a Boston-based technology start-up that is building an online platform to help the autism community. Founded by Ron Suskind, best-selling author of Life, Animated, Sidekicks taps into kids' special interests to help them practice communicating. We are looking for parents and their spectrum kids (age 6-18) to help us test some new... more
Do You Have Autism Spectrum Disorder (High-Functioning Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, or PDD-NOS)? Are your cognitive abilities within the low average to above average range?
Would you be interested in learning more about yourself and your sexuality? If so and you are over 21, we would like you to participate in a research study being... more
TMS Investigations of Neuroplasticity in ASD
05/12/2017
The main purpose of this study is to investigate brain plasticity in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Research suggests that during development the brains of individuals with ASD may change in response to their experiences differently than the brains of those without it. We want to understand why and how this difference may... more
Neurodiverse Couples Survey
05/12/2017
A survey to help AANE better understand the unique needs of neurodiverse couples
NEURODIVERSE COUPLES, WE NEED YOU TO TAKE OUR SURVEY!
Neurology matters and so does your feedback. If you are currently in a neurodiverse relationship, or if you have been in one in the past, please help AANE by taking the survey and sharing your opinions and... more
I am a researcher involved in a project on quality of life for parents and their children with ASD. The study is for parents of children with ASD aged 8-11 – looking at factors related to children’s quality of life. The link to the survey is here: https://survey.psyc.unb.ca/qolconsent.aspx We are on twitter: @autism_unb and... more
BE YOURSELF research study
04/26/2017
Brain Empowerment: Youth-Oriented Unconstrained Reality for Social Engagement and Lifeskills Formation
Brain Power, creator of the world's first wearable educational system for people with autism, is currently enrolling children and adults on the autism spectrum for a research study testing tolerability of Google Glass and Brain Power software... more
Understanding Autism Service Preferences
04/26/2017
Invitation to participate in a research study on autism service preferences We would like to invite you to participate in a research study about your thoughts and feelings about autism services. We are looking for people with autism and their families to take an online survey about how you think and feel about different services you may have... more
PALS Program Design Feedback: Pilot Study
04/19/2017
Dr. Denise Davidson, Ph.D., of Loyola University Chicago is running a study assessing the efficacy of a social support program (PALS) she designed on successful transition to college in students with ASD. She is interested in exploring how the PALS program affects four individual characteristics (social and emotional functioning, mental health... more
Through a grant from the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community, I am publishing a collection of personal essays depicting everyday life from individuals with Autism, ADD, Down Syndrome, OCD, and other neurological idiosyncrasies. I wish to extend a call for submissions to the Fighting for Autism Community. Right now, I am looking for stories... more
You are invited to participate in a research paper titled “Failure to Launch” designed to explore the perceptions of young adults with Asperger’s Disorder (AD) or High Functioning Autism (HFA), and their parents, regarding meaningful employment and independent living after high school or post- secondary education. This study is being... more
Kasey’s Workplace Questionnaire
04/07/2017
Hi, My name is Kasey McClelland and I am the mother of an Aspie 8 year old. I am also enrolled at Texas State University and I am writing a research paper of Autism in the workplace; however I reside in a rural community and am looking to send my anonymous and brief (less than 5 minutes) questionnaire to 30-50 autistic or Asperger's... more
I am Wendy Handler, MBA, DBA. I am working on a research project about the experiences of parents of children (elementary school to mid 20’s) with Aspergers. My goal is to find common successful themes as well as challenges in raising this group of children. I am interested in speaking with parents of children of various ages. It is my hope that... more
This research explores first person accounts of individuals with ASD, who describes their experience with hippotherapy (equine therapy). Specifically, interviews will be used to understand why ASD individuals are often fond of horses. The findings that result from this project will have two implications: 1) it will provide a detailed description... more
This is an online study looking at autistic adults' social behaviours and links with wellbeing. If you are aged 18 or over and have a diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition, you are eligible to take part. The survey will take around 30 minutes to complete and can be paused and resumed whenever suits you for up to one month after you... more
Participant Database for Persons Interested in Research Studies of Developmental Disorders
03/15/2017
Help Us Explore How the Brain Works! Healthy Children/Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Ages 6 to 17 Needed for Research Studies at Massachusetts General Hospital What we study: The brain: how it works and how it develops
How the brain and body affect each other
Why some children have developmental disorders, such as... more
Website: https://www.facebook.com/DevelopmentalStudies/ Help us find out whether ways that young adult men with Autism or Asperger’s regulate their attention and thinking, types of interests they have, and ways they respond in social situations are related to risk taking behavior. Participants must be: Male college students 18 and... more
Boston University’s Families and Autism Research Lab is looking for employers who have experience managing/supervising individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study focuses on employers’ views about their employee(s) with ASD. The survey should take less than 30 minutes to fill out. If you are currently supervising an employee... more
Who: Children ages 7-12 who have been diagnosed with ASD and are high functioning. What: Three 60-minute sessions in which two participants will be given an engineering challenge to design for a robotic pet dinosaur. They will use LEGOs and a variety of craft materials to build to solutions for the robot. When: Wednesdays March 15th, 22nd,... more
We are a research team from the Education and Engineering Departments at Tufts University’s who are interested in examining how involvement in client-centered projects completed in Makerspaces helps adolescents with autism spectrum disorder create a context where social and job-related skills are required. Several previous studies conducted by... more
The study includes 30-minute phone interviews with parents of children who were referred for autism assessment. The goal of the study is to understand parents’ perceptions of the autism assessment process in order to make improvements to the process in the future. All interviews are confidential. Please contact UCLA PhD student Kashia Axthelm... more
Please join us for this FREE 6 week process group for adults with Aspergers’ Syndrome. We will use Core Energetics’ techniques to help connect with the self and with others in an aligned way, while strengthening self awareness, and body consciousness. Using movement, breath work and interactive therapy we will explore the energetic blocks... more
According to Schalock’s (2004) Emerging Disability Paradigm, researchers have an obligation to study positive traits of individuals with disabilities, including strengths, contributors to life satisfaction, and interventions to improve quality of life. The purpose of the present study is to examine personal strengths and life satisfaction in... more
GAMES Project
02/01/2017
Do you know a 7-11 year old with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder? Scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital are seeking children with autism spectrum disorder to help test a new executive function intervention. Executive function skills allow children to manage complex or conflicting information while solving problems. Participation... more
Visual Perception in Autism
02/01/2017
We invite you to participate in our research project investigating visual perception in people with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). Our research is looking at how our brain filters visual information in the world, and how attention changes what we see. We hope our findings will provide a better understanding about the differences in vision and... more
What is the FACE Lab?
We are the Facial Affective and Communicative Expressions (FACE) Lab for Autism Research at Emerson College in Boston, MA. The FACE Lab studies how children with and without autism use their faces, voices, and words to communicate with others, with the hope of eventually improving diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes in this... more
Hello, my name is Rebecca Glover and I am a graduate student at Washington State University in the psychology department. I am conducting research on the experiences of parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for my master’s thesis. I am inviting caregivers (e.g., biological parent, stepparent, adoptive parent) of one child with... more
Website: http://www.bu.edu/childlanguage/ We are conducting a two-visit research study at the Child Language Lab at Boston University about Autistic Children's linguistic development. During the first visit, we are interested in learning how children on the spectrum understand pronouns like “me” and “you”. Your child would play an... more
The number of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in post-secondary academic settings is increasing. Meanwhile, even though most of these students are well-equipped intellectually for post-secondary education, studies suggest they often struggle with academic achievement, express decreased satisfaction with their post-secondary... more
Urban Space and Autism
12/09/2016
Urban space is defined as the spaces between buildings, such as streets, parks and public square. This Study is looking into how architects and urban designers can make urban space in towns and cities more inclusive of neurodiversity, in particular people with autism. If there is anyone (over 18) with autism who would be happy to share their... more
Wandering in children ages 4 and above
12/07/2016
Wandering by children with ASD and other developmental disorders is a significant safety concern. It is estimated that more than 250,000 children with disabilities wander away from adult supervision each year. Few researchers have looked at this major issue, and there has been little focus on prevention measures and the impact that wandering... more
Are you the parent/guardian of a child age 3-8 on the autism spectrum in the Boston area? Researchers at Northeastern University want to understand how your child uses media and technology with their family members, whether it’s a little or a lot. The information from this study could help parents/guardians and clinicians understand... more
enTRAIN parent-child study: Boston
11/26/2016
Website: http://entrain.cbslab.org/ASD.html New opportunity for you and your child to be involved in a fun, play-based study using a new toy developed by researchers at MIT along with cutting-edge wearable technology that can measure heart beats and stress levels. We’re looking for parents and their children who have a diagnosis of an... more
SAMIE Study
11/26/2016
Website: https://unco.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_38fzlLbwoWIk9XD If you are a parent or primary caregiver to a child between the ages of 2-8 years with an Autism Spectrum Disorder or who is typically developing, please participate in an online survey study. Your participation is needed to assist in developing the first eating screening... more
A Study in Perceived Object Functionality
11/26/2016
Clemson University’s Autism Research Laboratory, run by Dr. Jennifer Bisson, is investigating socially acceptable object use, focusing on how individuals of various backgrounds differ in their ability to perceive object affordances. Their online survey takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete and the only qualifications for participation... more
Overhearing in ASD
11/16/2016
Can children with autism learn new words through eavesdropping? Researchers at Emerson College and Boston University are conducting a study looking at how overhearing others' conversation supports language development. The goal of this study is to explore this question in children with autism spectrum disorder. This study involves one visit... more
Exploring Perceptions of Weather Information and Risk Understanding in Autistic Populations
11/16/2016
This study seeks to examine what autistics/people with autism know about weather. The results of this study will potentially guide meteorologists at the U.S. National Weather Service, and elsewhere across the country, in better communicating life-saving weather information to autistics/people with autism during severe weather events, and in... more
Perceptions of Bullying Behavior
11/11/2016
Researchers at Binghamton University are looking for parents of children with or without Autism Spectrum Disorder, as well as educators and other service providers for individuals with special needs to take an online survey about bullying in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder. This study has been approved by the Institutional... more
The Autism Sibling Study
10/19/2016
Website: https://www.uml.edu/docs/ASD_Sibling_recruit_V4_tcm18-264207.pdf The UMass Lowell Autism Sibling Study seeks sibling pairs to participate in a study examining whether aspects of the sibling relationship are related to symptoms of autism, especially Theory of Mind development. We are looking for sibling pairs that consist of: A... more
Family and SLP perspectives on family-centered care for children with ASD: Are we seeing eye-to-eye?
10/19/2016
Website: https://redcap.ctsi.psu.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=AY9NL98XHM Researchers at Penn State University are conducting an online study to obtain parents' perspectives on the speech-language services that their child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receives. Specifically, an online survey will be used to measure the degree to which parents of... more
The study compares two treatments to facilitate speech output in minimally verbal children with ASD aged 6-11. Eligible participants will complete baseline testing at Boston University, be randomly assigned to 25 daily sessions of either music-based or speech-based therapy at BIDMC, and be post-tested again at Boston University. Website:... more
Childhood Experiences with Multilingualism
10/05/2016
In this study, we are interested in looking at the experiences of preschool children who regularly hear at least two languages. We will be looking at both children who are typically developing and children who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We are interested in recruiting bilingual children between the ages of 1.5 and 6... more
Website: https://software.rc.fas.harvard.edu/lds/
Email: kidlab@g.harvard.edu Harvard University Lab for Developmental Studies is seeking children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) for a study of cognitive development. Who can participate? Children 5 to 17 years old, whose first language is English.
Our lab has other studies,... more
Exploring the Mental Health Landscape of Partners of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
09/23/2016
My name is Laura Lewis and I am a nurse researcher at the University of Vermont. On a personal note, I am also the family member of an adult with ASD. I am looking for individuals who might be willing to participate in a research study about the mental health of partners of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study is titled,... more
Website: http://www.prepasd.com/parents Are you, or is someone you know, the parent of a child who meets ALL of the following criteria? Has a diagnosis of high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD), Asperger's syndrome, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder-NOS
Plans to attend a post-secondary education setting such as a... more
The purpose of this study is to find out about cultural barriers faced by Latino parents that have a child with autism. We will conduct an interview that will take approximately 45-60 minutes with questions about you and your family. You will receive a $35 gift card as for participating! Contact: Rocio Rosales; 978-934-4305 or... more
We are currently inviting adults with autism spectrum disorders to participate in a study about emotions and social decision making in the brain. Participants will complete 1-2 hours of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning and additional behavioral assessments outside the scanner. Participants receive $20/hour for behavioral... more
Brain Connectivity in Children Ages 7-17
09/14/2016
The TRANSCEND Research Program at MGH is currently recruiting children with an autism spectrum disorder ages 7-17 to participate in our studies. We use MRI and MEG scans to study brain connectivity and sensory processing in children with autism spectrum disorders. Our current study consists of 2-4 visits to our building in the Charlestown Navy... more
The purpose of this federally funded study is twofold: To assess the effectiveness of an iPad/computerized based approach to language prosody training in individuals with Autism and
Assess transfer of training of iPad/computerized language training to "real world" social situations. The current study focuses on use of an iPad-assisted... more
We're looking for parents to complete our online questionnaire about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) traits. The only requirement: biological parent of a child over 4 years old. Upon completion, participants are entered in a lottery for two $50 gift cards. Website:... more
Online Support Group Experiences
08/22/2016
This questionnaire intends to find out more about your behavior within online health and social support communities. Health communities include those that have been specifically set up to provide support (health and social support and information) around specific health concerns, conditions and illnesses (including physical and mental health... more
Researchers in the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience (LCN) at Boston Children's Hospital are seeking volunteers with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to participate in a 1-2 hour training opportunity. The purpose of this opportunity is to train our staff on administering assessments used in our research studies. The training... more
Researchers in the Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience (LCN) at Boston Children's Hospital are seeking volunteers with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to participate in a 1-2 hour training opportunity. The purpose of this opportunity is to train our staff on administering assessments used in our research studies. The training... more
The Influence That Parent Led Autism Support Groups have in Fostering Advocacy Among their Members
07/27/2016
For the study, participants will fill out a demographics and screening questionnaire and participate in a brief interview. All participants of the study will remain anonymous. Information gathered from the questionnaires and interviews will remain confidential. The incentive to participate is a $25.00 Visa gift card. Contact:... more
Brain Plasticity TMS Study
07/08/2016
Seeking Participants with a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder for a research study. What is the study about?
The main purpose of this study is to investigate brain plasticity in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Research suggests that during development the brains of individuals with ASD may change in response to their... more