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Research Studies |
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Research is an important part to advancing the understanding of what may cause autism as well as effective treatment methods. The Autism Society of North Carolina does not conduct research, however we do support continued research into the many aspects of autism. We also support researchers by providing information to our readers and the autism community about current research studies that need participants. This page is devoted to providing information about current studies that need participants. If you are a researcher and would like to submit information about your study, please contact David Laxton at 800-442-2762 or click here to send an email. |
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Early Childhood Feeding - UNC School of Public Health The UNC School of Public Health's Department of Maternal and Child Health is conducting a study on early childhood feeding of children with autism, and we are looking for your help! If you are the biological mother of a child with an autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 2 and 10, please consider participating in a short online survey! It will take no more than 5-10 minutes of your time. Follow the link below to access the survey:
Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) - UNC - Chapel Hill UNC Chapel Hill is conducting a Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) in children ages 2-5 in families who live in Central North Carolina (specifically Alamance, Chatham, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Johnston, Orange, Randolph, and Wake). The study will look at possible causes and risks for developmental delays and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Brain Imaging Study - UNC-Chapel Hill Dr. Gabriel Dichter from the Department of Psychiatry at UNC-Chapel Hill is currently recruiting individuals with high-functioning autism (10-55 years old) for a study that will use harmless and non-invasive brain imaging (functional MRI) to investigate how citalopram (also known as Celexa®) helps to reduce symptoms of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. In this twelve week study, treatment with medication or placebo will be supervised at no cost by a UNC pediatric psychiatrist. Participants will receive supervised treatment at no cost, up to $200 for study appointments, a picture of their brain, and reimbursement for travel expenses. Participation requires:
Eligibility criteria include: 1) No psychoactive medication for at least:
2) No diagnosis of:
Please contact study coordinator Jennifer Felder at: (919) 951-9513, via email at UNCBrainStudy@gmail.com, or on the web at www.unc.edu/fmri. (UNC IRB #: 04-0975)
UNC High-functioning Autism Hearing Study UNC Chapel Hill is conducting a study to better understand hearing in high-functioning autistic children. Your child may be eligible to participate in this study if he or she:
Participants will sit in a soundproof room and listen to sounds presented over headphones. The study will take approximately 1-2 sessions of one hour each and takes place on the UNC Campus in MacNider Hall (next to the Health Sciences Library). Your child will be compensated at a rate of $25/hour. For more information about this study click here to send an email. Include “ASD Study” in the subject line. This study has been reviewed and approved by the Biomedical Institutional Review Board. Principal Investigator Joseph W. Hall, Ph.D. 919-966-8926.
Grip Reactions and Anticipatory Control in Special Populations - (Project GRASP) Sponsored By: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The United Cerebral Palsy Association Investigator: Deborah E. Thorpe, PT, PhD, PCS, UNC-Chapel Hill Center for Human Movement Science We are conducting a study to examine the development of grasp and are in need of children with autism and children with developmental delay between the ages of 2 and 6 years 11months. This study will provide information about how children anticipate changes that they need to make to be successful in grasping small objects or different weights. During the session, several developmental assessments will be administered and your child will perform a grasping task with an object of varying weight. Your child’s participation in this study would last from approximately 1.5 -3.0 hours depending on the number of assessments required. All programs are free of charge to the subjects and each subject will receive monetary compensation at ~ $12.50/hour up to $50. Parents will be interviewed for approximately one hour. Results from this study may help us to develop interventions for young children experiencing difficulty with grasping tasks This study was approved March 16, 2006 by the Committee on the Protection of Rights of Human Subjects at the University of North Carolina. If you would like to participate in this study, please click here to email Debbie Thorpe, PT, PhD, PCS, or call (919) 843-8679.
Project to Better Understand Parent Perspectives and Interaction Styles Are you the parent of a child with autism, age 2-5 years? If so, you may be eligible to participate in a project to better understand parent perspectives and interaction styles. We are currently recruiting mothers and fathers of young children with autism to participate in interviews and observations. Interviews and observations will be take place in the home. Interviews will last approximately 60-90 minutes. Observations will last approximately 20-40 minutes. The principle investigator for this project is Michelle Flippin, M.S. CCC-SLP, Department of Allied Health Sciences, Division of Speech and Hearing at UNC Chapel Hill. Interested individuals should contact, Michelle Flippin at (919)452-6974 or by clicking here to send an email. This study has been approved by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institutional Review Board, Study # 07-1986.
SCIT-A, Social Cognition & Interaction Training for Adolescents with High Functioning Autism (HFA) Understanding how to interact with others is a challenge for people with autism. Impaired social cognition (i.e., perceiving the emotions and intentions of others) makes it difficult to establish friendships and form positive social relationships, a skill that is even more difficult during the adolescent years. Dr. David Penn of UNC Psychology/Psychiatry together with Drs. Lauren Turner-Brown and Gabriel Dichter of UNC Psychiatry have developed a treatment study to investigate a group-based cognitive behavioral intervention to improve social-cognitive functioning in adolescents with high-functioning autism (HFA). We will be conducting focus groups comprised of clinicians, teachers, researchers, families, and adolescents with autism to get feedback to further aid manual development. Participants for the focus groups should be 1) adolescents ages 14-18 that are diagnosed with HFA or Asperger’s Syndrome, 2) parents of HFA adolescents, or 3) clinicians, researchers, and teachers who work the HFA adolescent population. Focus groups will be in March and will consist of one 90 minute meeting held at UNC TEACCH in Carrboro. You will be compensated $20 for your participation. We will also be looking for HFA adolescents ages 14-18 to participate in the SCIT-A treatment intervention starting in July. The intervention lasts 12 weeks with two follow-up assessments. You will be compensated up to $255 for your participation. Please email Study Coordinator Betty Rupp or call her at 919.843.8123 for more information. You may also read about the study online by clicking here.
The IBIS Network at UNC is looking for participants! Autism Speaks is assisting the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network in its examination of very early features that may be characteristic of infants at risk for autism. The goal is to study the developing brain in infancy, before a possible diagnosis is determined. To do this, the IBIS Network is actively seeking to enroll families who have a child with an autism spectrum disorder and an infant sibling 6 months old or younger. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers are studying the brain development of children from 6 to 24 months of age. Developmental evaluations and MRI scans of your child's brain will be completed at 6, 12 and 24 months of age. These services are provided at no charge to your family. Compensation for participation and the arrangement of your travel to Chapel Hill will be provided. The data gathered in this study will provide important information regarding early brain development in autism, which may in turn provide clues that will eventually result in early interventions (e.g., early behavioral or medication treatments) to improve outcomes for children with autism. To learn more about participating in this study, please email the UNC IBIS Network site or contact them by phone at 1-800-793-5715. Also, to learn more about this research project please click here.
Online Research Study - University of Southern Mississippi Parents of a child ages 6 to 18 with an Autism Spectrum Disorder are asked to participate in an online survey looking at their child’s behaviors and routines, as well as the family interactions, parenting practices, and stress. (It takes less than an hour to complete!) $5 for every completed survey will be donated by the research team to fund further Autism research! The study is being conducted by Stephanie Bader, a Clinical Psychology graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi, as her Master's Thesis. It has been approved by the IRB, protocol number 27111205. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please email Stephanie Bader or call her at 845-492-1986.
UNC Multisensory Processing Study: The Multisensory Processing Study is interested in how persons with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, or Autistic Disorder, process sensory information. The study is recruiting adults, ages 18-45 with high-functioning autism. Participants will receive $20/hr and will be compensated for travel. Participants will come to UNC-Chapel Hill for testing, which involves fMRI and multiple types of sensory stimulation (vibration, heat, textures). There is the potential to come in for testing on 5 different occasions, if the participant would like to complete all components of the study. Each session can last as few as 45 minutes, or as long as 4 hours (if multiple experiments are to be completed in the same day). The Principal Investigators for the Multisensory Processing Study are Drs. Greg Essick and Carissa Cascio. If you are interested in participating in this study, or if you would like additional information, please call 919-843-2749 or 919-843-2628. UNC Tactile Information Processing Study: The Tactile Information Processing Study conducts assessments to measure how individuals with and without autism recognize touch. We are recruiting adults (ages 18-55) with high-functioning autism (Autistic Disorder or Asperger's Disorder). Parents are also invited to participate. Participants will receive $25 per hour for participating (a minimum of $50) and assessments take approximately 2 hours. Transportation and parking costs will be paid for. Assessments can be completed at UNC or at a location convenient to the participant (ex. their home). Participants will sit comfortably in a chair at a table and rest their hand on a table where stimuli will be delivered. A small vibrating tip will be carefully applied to the skin on the hand and forearm and participants will be asked to tell us whether or not they feel the touch of the vibrating tip. For participants who have not previously participated in research at UNC, additional diagnostic assessments may need to be completed. The Principal Investigators for the Tactile Information Processing Study are Drs. Mark Tommerdahl and Grace Baranek. If you are interested in participating in this study, or if you would like additional information, please call 919-843-2749 or 919-843-2628.
IBIS Network at UNC is looking for participants! posted 4/17/08 The Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network is examining the very early features that may be characteristic of infants at risk for autism. Their goal is to study the developing brain in infancy, before a possible diagnosis is determined. There are very few large-scale studies of brain development in autism over time, and even fewer that look at this development in infants and very young children. With your support we will be able to investigate more thoroughly the initial stages of significant brain overgrowth. This study, funded by the National Institutes of Health is being conducted in 4 different sites across the US. Currently, we are searching for 100 participants in the South Eastern US to meet the following criteria:
The participant will:
(All travel, lodging, and meal costs are reimbursed, and any services we provide are at no charge) The UNC Chapel Hill Autism Research Program (ARP) is conducting this study. Please click here to contact research associate Jaclyn Anthony or call her at 919.843.1535 or 1.800.793.5715, You can click here to visit their website
Toddlers Needed for Research Study - posted 4/17/08 Families of toddlers living within 100 miles of Chapel Hill are needed to participate in an early intervention research study. The intervention was studied in an earlier pilot research project. Participants will include parents and their toddlers under age 25 months who have difficulty with social communication as compared with other areas of development such as gross motor. Parents will play an active role in the home-based intervention which targets nonverbal social-communication development, a difficulty for toddlers who may show early risk for autism. One goal of the intervention is to build a foundation upon which verbal language can develop. A diagnosis of autism is not required and there is no cost to families. The intervention is not intended to replace other intervention the family may receive. Referrals will be assessed for eligibility and eligible participants will be accepted on a first come – first served basis. The Principal Investigator for this project is Samuel L. Odom, Ph.D. Director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. To refer potential participants, or to find out more about this study, please click here to contact the study leaders. Or, feel free to contact the via phone at 919-962-3982.
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Copyright © 2004-2008 Autism Society of North Carolina
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